Hi everyone….Hope you had a great Easter break. This is our favourite soup. I have put a photo of the ingredients because when you see the photo of the finished soup you may not want to make it! It certainly doesn’t look very appetising!! But my family loves it. I make this every week during the colder months……which is now as far as I’m concerned as we’ve said goodbye to summer. I use my slow cooker, but a large saucepan is fine. The vegetables listed here are just the base, and you could add whatever vegetables you need to use up. I used to make it without the pumpkin or sweet potato but it is much tastier with them included. I often put in frozen peas, sometimes bacon or tinned tomatoes. It’s one of those soups that thicken and a great go to snack after school, uni or work. Oh yes, that’s right I don’t do school anymore ho hum. The size of the vegetables are just a rough idea, it’s pretty much what I have in the fridge.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups red lentils (or this 375gm packet)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 2 small brown onions – chopped
- 1 garlic clove – crushed
- 2 large carrots – sliced or diced
- 3 sticks celery – sliced
- 3 cups vegetable stock (I use the cubes but feel free to use liquid stock)
- Half a pumpkin – chopped large pieces
- 2 sweet potatoes – chopped large pieces
Method:
Wash the lentils and set aside. Heat oil in pan and saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables and saute about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whenever I make soup with vegetables I always saute them, it adds a lovely flavour. Add the vegetable stock and lentils, mix well and slowly simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft. I cook this on my slow cooker for 3 hours. It freezes well too.
Let me know if you make this soup or have any questions? I love it because it contains so much goodness. This recipe is for my darling friend Sandy.
Bon Appetit.
Geoff and I and some great friends are off to Bathurst this weekend to ride in the Blayney to Bathurst (B2B) cycle on Sunday – around 70kms. We’ve done it twice. It’s so different riding through the countryside as opposed to our beautiful rides through Ku-Ring-Gai National Park, West Head, Akuna Bay and Duffys Forest. “I love the smell of cow manure in the morning.” When we go through the little country towns there are crowds sitting outside the local pub having a beer and cheering us on. I’m tempted to join them – not for a beer but perhaps a Chardonnay haha. Everyone is really friendly and it is wonderful riding in the beauty of the Central Tablelands! Have a great weekend.
Love Chris x
