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
  

Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad

Source: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/warm-butternut-squash-and-chickpea-salad/

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
Adapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro

Yield: 4 servings

For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Do ahead: Molly says this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge, that you should hold a little of the dressing on the side and that it can be reheated in the microwave. I, for one, have never had any leftovers.

NOTES:

• SUPER delicious!