| Aromatics |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 180 | g red lentils, picked, washed and drained |
| 150 | g potato, peeled, washed and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 cm dices |
| 100 | g carrot, thoroughly washed and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 cm dices (more is delicious) |
| 100 | g onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch / 2.5 cm dices |
| 2 | tablespoons fresh parsley |
| 1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
| kosher salt |
| Soup and Spices |
| 6 | cups water |
| 1.5 | tsp cumin, divided |
| 1 | tsp sea salt |
| 1 | tsp Alleppo peppers, divided |
| 2 | tsp Urfa peppers |
| for the Roux |
| 4 | tbsp butter |
| 2 | tsp all-purpose flour |
| Serve with |
| dried or fresh mint leaves |
| roasted sunflower seeds (optional) |
| lemon wedges |
| olive oil or melted butter |
| 1. | Heat the olive oil in a pot*, and add the onions and carrots to sweat. Season with kosher salt. When they are translucent, add 1/2 tsp of Alleppo peppers and 1/2 tsp of cumin. Add the tomato paste and cook and stir for at least 2 minutes. If it threatens to burn, add a tablespoon or two of the water, and continue to stir. |
| 2. | Add the potatoes and stir to coat them with the onions, tomato and carrots. Season with kosher salt. |
| 3. | Add the drained red lentils and stir to coat. |
| 4. | Mix in the water and bring just below a boil. Reduce the heat to a minimum and cook. Place a wooden spoon across the top of the pot, and prop the cover over the spoon allowing some venting space. |
| 5. | Cook until the lentils have collapsed and the potatoes mush easily when pressed with a wooden spoon. |
| 6. | Once done, remove from the heat, add the remaining cumin, alleppo, Urfa peppers and sea salt. With an immersion blender puree the soup into the homogeneous creamy texture without any lumps. |
| 7. | In a small pan melt the butter in the medium heat and once it starts sizzling stir in the flour. Continue stirring as the roux changes its color from golden to light caramel. At the roux starts browning slightly (after about 2 min), pour it in the soup and stir with the spoon. |
| 8. | Place the soup pot on the stove, bring to a simmer and let cook for 2-3 minutes on a low heat to let the flour thicken the soup into its comforting velvety state. |
| 9. | Serve immediately, sprinkled with the dry mint, red pepper flakes, toasted sunflower seeds and drizzled with a bit of melted butter / olive oil. |
| 10. | After being refrigerated overnight the soup thickens; you might want to add a bit of water when reheating it. |
| NOTES |
| 1. | * choose a taller pot than you expect so when you use the immersion blender you do not wear the soup |
| 2. | If Urfa peppers are too hot, reduce the amount and add more Alleppos which are warmer and less spicy. |
| 3. | The lemon and dried mint [I dry all summer with garden mint] |
| 4. | are essential for garnish. The others are gilding the lily. |
| 5. | The roux is not actually necessary for at home dinners, but does take the soup up several notches. For simple suppers, 2 tablespoons of butter gives some luxury without the velvet. |
| 6. | Every version of this soup that I have had is different. Play with the spices and find the mixture that the two of you like. |
| 7. | Red Lentils vary in flavor greatly. Though the ones from the Indian store have great flavor, I have had too many bugs in those bags. American ones have no flavor. I buy mine from the Middle Eastern markets and find that their offerings have combination of flavor though I do have to clean the bags a bit more. |
| 8. | I serve with some Lebanese bread in big bowls for a main course soup, or smaller bowls if serving with other meze-style dishes. |