So, have you heard its Autumn, finally right…I’ve been waited to long for this autumn to arrive.  I love fall weather, its cool and refreshing, it awakes the other senses that you sort of loose during the summer heat. 

So, this is another recipe from my Moroccan Iftar dinner and since fall is upon us I believe its one of those simple and must have recipes.  I actually made this soup on a warm day, but the soup served its purpose, filling our empty stomachs with goodness and warmth.  During fall and winter days, a soup is a must have in our house hold, especially lentil soups.  It could be red lentil, green lentil or even yellow lentil, they are all equally satisfying and delicious.

TURKISH GREEN LENTIL SOUP
                       ( Yesil Mercimek Corbasi)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of green lentils
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 6 cups water + 2 cups of water
• salt, to taste
• lemon – to serve with

Preparation:

1. Into 2 cups of water, add in the green lentils and bring to a broil, about 10 to 15 minutes.  This process allows the green dark lentils to release its dark coloring.  Once the water turns a darkish brown color, drain the lentils and set a side. 
2. In a medium saucepan, add in the olive oil, onion, carrot, tomato paste, salt, 6 cups of water and green lentils.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until all the ingredients are soft.  Stir occasionaly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
4. Once all the ingredients are soft, the soup is done.  As this point you have a few options on how you can to serve the soup.
   Either: a. leave the soup as it is, it will be bit chunky but flavorful. b. puree the soup, either by hand held blender in the sauce pan or in a blender.  Puree until no chucks are left and pour the soup back into your sauce pan if you have used a blender to puree.
5. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls.
6. When serving, squeeze some lemon juice on top and serve with bread.

Note: There are several various ways of making lentil soups, it all depends on your style of cooking.  The method is the same, give or take a few ingredients. Here are a few additional recipes for red & green lentil soups, from my favorite food blogs.

Farida’s Azerbaijani Cookbook – Turkish Red Lentil Soup
Almost Turkish Recipes – Green Lentil Soup with Rice
Binnur’s Turkish Cookbook – Green Lentil Soup
Portakal Agaci – Spinach and Green Lentil Soup
NY’s Delight – Green Lentil Soup with Pastina
NY’s Delight – Red Lentil Soup

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Tags: autumn, fall, lentils, red lentil soup, turkish green lentil soup