Lemon & Lentil Chowder
Ready in under 45 minutes, including chopping, stirring, & grating time.
If you have a blender, chop the veg into chunks, & if not, chop small though it'll have a different texture.
Two large onions
4 large sticks of celery
2-3 cloves of garlic with the green stalk removed (best crushed & left to oxidise for 20 minutes, but I didn't bother today).
1 1/2-2 litres of water
2 teaspoons of mixed herbs
2 teaspoons low/reduced salt stock
i teaspoon peppercorns (grind if you're not using a blender). I used mixed peppercorns & added half a teaspoon of pink peppercorns as I like them.
150g red lentils
150g of sweetcorn I used frozen , & slipped so about 250g went in, but it turned out fine!
3 organic unwaxed lemons for the zest & juice At least make sure they're unwaxed so you don't have fungicide in your soup! A couple of good oranges works, too.
Greens for tasty garnish & extra micro-nutrients. I used 75g of cavolo nero, shredded & dry fried till it's crispy, plus a handful of fresh flat leaf parsley.*
I also added nutritional yeast for B vitamins & zinc.
Throw onions, celery, garlic, lentils 1 1/2l water & the seasoning in a large saucepan, put the lid on, & bring to the boil. Reduce heat & simmer for about 30 minutes. Once the lentils are cooked, add the corn, & simmer for another 5-10 minutes, Allow to cool a little, then zazz with a hand blender. Add the zest & juice of the lemons, though be aware it takes a few minutes for the lovely lemon taste to develop. Add more water if you prefer runny soup.
Wash & chop cavolo* or kale, shred, then dry fry till crispy.
Wash & chop fresh parsley*.
*See past [posts for cavolo, celery & nutritional yeast nutrition.
Serve with sourdough bread, & nutritional yeast if required, & enjoy!
NB I'm going to try adding carrots &/or squash next time, though this pale colour looked more lemony.
lentils.org/health-nutritio...