Refectory Gingered Red Lentil Soup

Source: http://eeecooks.com/recipes/2003/12/20/soup

Serves 5

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, red
• 1 tablespoon oil, olive
• 2 cloves garlic, large
• salt & pepper
• 1 1-inch piece ginger, fresh
• ¹⁄₂ cup bell pepper, green, frozen, defrosted slightly — minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin, ground
• 1 teaspoon coriander, ground
• sprinkle cayenne, ground
• 1 cup lentils, red
• 3 cups water, plus more to rinse lentils
• 2 bay leaves, dried
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh

We start by heating our Dutch oven over medium-low heat. We peel and chop our red onion, yielding 1½ cups. We add the oil to the pot and dump in our onions. We stir and keep an eye on them while we continue to prepare the rest of the vegetables.

We smash the garlic cloves carefully with the side of our knife, discard the peels, and mince with some salt. We peel the ginger carefully with our knife, slice, and then mince it. We get about a tablespoon each of garlic and ginger. We add these to the softening onions, along with the green pepper, stir, and continue to cook for a few minutes.

We spread the lentils out on a piece of wax paper and pick out any debris. We put the lentils into a large bowl, cover with water, stir with our hand, and carefully dump out the water. We repeat this process four more times – adding more water, stirring, and dumping out the water. At this point, the water that we dump out is clean.

The vegetables are cooking nicely so we add the cumin, coriander, and cayenne to the Dutch oven and cook for another minute. We add the rinsed lentils and cover with three cups of water. We also add the bay leaves and raise the heat to medium.

We rinse our carrots, peel with our peeler, and then grate with our box grater. We add about ½ cup of carrots to the lentils, along with some salt and pepper. When the soup comes to a boil, we lower it to a simmer, and cover for about 20 minutes. We want all the vegetables and the lentils to be very tender. We taste for salt and pepper and, when we are ready to eat, we add the lemon juice.

NOTES:

• Makes a LOT bc more water is required than the recipe states
• Tasty, but not amazing
• Following recipe: does NOT taste like refectory soup, which is sweeter and spicier, less lemony
• Refectory soup: carrots and peppers cut to 1/2" so they are seen
  

Sweet Potato, Kale, Chicken Sausage Soup

Source: http://thekitchensinkrecipes.com/2009/02/04/on-mirrored-elevators-and-hearty-lunches/

10 Angela Portions, as written (Serves 6)

Sweet Potato, Sausage and Kale Soup
Cooking Light

Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pound bulk spicy turkey Italian sausage
8 cups coarsely chopped peeled sweet potato (about 2 1/4 pounds)
5 cups water
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 bunch kale, chopped
1 (16-ounce) can chickpeas or white beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Remove casings from sausage; add sausage to pan. Cook 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned, stirring to crumble. Add potato, 5 cups water, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Gradually add kale; cook 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste) and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

NOTES:

• Tried: Whole Foods Chicken Andouille Sausage; no red pepper flakes needed; really tasty
• If making just for myself, use 1 sausage, very small (less than 1/2 lb) sweet potato, 1/2 onion
• Put in beans last if canned or else they will get mushy
  

White Bean, Roasted Tomato, and Rosemary Soup

Three SuperFoods in one bowl: beans, tomatoes, and spinach. If you make the soup ahead or are not necessarily going to serve it all during one meal, place some fresh and scallions into each bowl and ladle the hot soup over, instead of adding these to the batch. The soup will store and reheat better without these ingredients.

Serves 6

2 c. dried canellini beans
1 (28 oz) can whole Italian plum tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (1 c.)
4 c. Chicken/Vegetable stock
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 c fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 c thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts)

Rinse the beans in cold water and pick over them, discarding any stones or debris. Place them in a large bowl and pour in enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Let stand overnight. Drain the beans and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a 2-qt baking dish, pour in the tomatoes with their juice and add the garlic. Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Roast, uncovered, until the tomatoes and garlic are slightly browned in spots and the liquid has reduced, about 45 minutes. Transfer the tomatoes, garlic, and pan juices to a blender or food processor and blend just until the mixture is slightly chunky, working in batches if necessary. Set the mixture aside.
In a 3-qt saucepan, heat the reamining 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 4-5 mins.
Stir in the beans, stock, and a pinch each of the salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer. Tie the rosemary and thyme sprigs and bay leaf in cheesecloth and add them to the pot. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Remove and discard the herb bundle. Stir the roasted tomato puree into the soup and bring it back to a simmer. Add more stock if necessary so the soup has a brothy texture. Stir in the remaining salt and pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in teh spinach and scallions. Serve hot.