LEMONY YUM

A friend of mine in Saskatchewan—a neighbour I know from ranching days—is a farm wife who grows lentils. I asked her for her favourite recipe, then tweaked it a bit, and might use it as one of the soups appearing in my novel. (Feel free to improvise your own ingredients.)

It’s delish!

LEMON LENTIL SOUP

A splash of lemon-infused olive oil (a tablespoon or so)

A large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 cups red lentils, cleaned and rinsed

6 cups chicken stock

Zest and juice of 2 large lemons

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

To taste: sea salt from the South of France and freshly ground Turkish pepper brought home from Istanbul!

Method:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan.

2. Add onion, garlic, and paprika (or hot pepper flakes). Cook on low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add cumin and lentils, combine well. Add stock, salt, and pepper, and bring to boil.

4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender and soup is beginning to thicken, about 30 minutes.

5. Add extra liquid if needed. Add lemon juice.

6. Serve sprinkled with cilantro (or regular parsley).