Okay, I know I said we don’t have to eat lentil soup (soup not soap!) any more. But, sometimes that is exactly what the doctor orders. So yesterday faced with fine misty drizzle and a dip in temperatures, alongside a woefully sad looking Butternut Squash that has been sitting in the veg basket for over a week, this is what I came up with.
Inspired by Nigel Slater’s The Kitchen Diaries
Red Lentil Soup Recipe with Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
Firstly let me say, I didn’t really measure anything and the squash was one suffering blossom end rot that had been rescued from the vegetable garden before it was technically ready. That being said, it still tasted delicious so is definitely worth using as a rough basic idea for your own lentil soap recipes. And of course, get even healthier with whole green or brown lentils if you like but be prepared for a slightly more delayed lunch than hours!
- One smallish onion, chopped roughly
- A few cloves of garlic, peeled but if you are in a rush like me, throw them in whole
- Grated fresh ginger – about half a thumbs worth
- A dollop or two of harissa
- A table-spoon of cumin seeds, and a teaspoon or so of chilli powder
- Two tea-cups worth of red lentils (and a bit over double their volume in water or stock)
- One medium sized squash peeled and diced very roughly (dodgy blossom end bit chucked on the compost)
- Juice of half a lemon, black pepper and salt, olive oil and a small knob of butter
For the delicious topping:
- One small onion sliced very thinly
- One garlic cloves also sliced as thin as possible
- Two red chillis sliced really thin too (would be best with fresh, but as I couldn’t face the delay of going out the vegetable plot I just used dried and it still turned out delightful)
- A little olive oil, salt and pepper, and the zest of the half a lemon
Right then, not a lot in it then, but what do we do with it all…
Method
I tend to cook things slowly but this soup was cooked fast, bubbling about a lot and sizzling with a little help from my wooden spoon to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan…
- Heat the butter and oil and fry the onion till it starts to get a little colour. Throw in the squash and fry, till it starts to all colour up a bit. Add your dry spices and give it a bit of a stir.
- Now throw in the ginger, garlic cloves, lentils, water or stock and your harissa and stir it up.
- Bring it to the boil, put the lid on and let it simmer noisily for 15 to 20 minutes or so. Check it for liquid every now and then and try not to let it catch on the bottom of the pan.
- While thats happening, you need to make the onion topping. Heat the oil in a small pan and fry the sliced onions on a low heat. When it starts to colour add the garlic, lemon zest and chilli and leave cooking gently till it is pretty well caramelised, season and put aside whilst the soap finishes cooking.
- Once the soup is ready (my taste test was soft enough squash and fully cooked lentils) you could blend it to a velvety consistency. But if it is raining and your solar power is not looking too healthy you could just mash it up with a potato masher like I did. Not quite such a restaurant quality finish but none the worse for that. Check your seasoning and squeeze in the lemon juice. Throw in some chopped coriander or parsley or other pretty green flavouring if you have one to hand (I didn’t) and its ready.
- Ladle up your soup and top with a spoonful of the onion, chilli, garlic mixture.
Try it and you will see why even rich people should eat lentil soap more often!
I have to admit the thing that really pleased me about this, was that I got to use the first Butternut squash we have ever grown (even if it did look a bit dodgy). I now don’t feel so bad about struggling to keep the plants alive and wondering when I can harvest the other three or four equally sad looking fruits!
Oh, forgot to say this is enough for four big bowls, and tastes even more lovely the next day. Enjoy!
Great recipe I recently made pumpkin and ginger soup which went down well with my guests as a starter but this is more of a lunchtime meal-in-a-bowl soup.
I will try yours today with a bought squash as I didn’t even get a miserable rotten one from my BNUT plants, got em in too late I think.
At least they are cheap here in Slovenia.
Last week I used up my onions to make Onion Marmalade, it is really cheap and very addictive, would you like the recipe?
Yes please! But I admit to only eating it once and not really enjoying it, so fingers crossed your recipe is nicer than my mum’s! 🙂
Good job! I am definitely giving this one a go, as it’s been my first successful growing season with squashes. I love them quite a lot, and am planning on growing a lot more next year (even though they tend to take up a lot of space).
Lucy, I’m jealous you made a success of growing them. I will try again next year with bought seeds (I used ones from a squash this year) as I think they may be more fertile. Very pretty plants though anyway.