I love it when it rains! I love it even more when it's cold, wet and blustery outside and I am safely ensconced inside. The first thing I want to do after I turn the heating on and slip into my comfy slippers is make a big pot of soup. It's a natural reaction - I see dark clouds, I hear the rain and I then reach for my big soup pot. And that's exactly what I did last Friday I reached for my Le Chasseur cast iron pot and made my first batch of soup for the season.

My favourite soup at the moment would have to be this 'lemon and red lentil' soup. It's a thick hearty soup and it is quite filling. I often serve it with some 'cheesy fingers' as the kids call them - grilled cheese on sourdough toast. Hoover loves this soup despite it being quite lemony. Fussy on the other hand scoffs his cheesy fingers and then protests that he is too full and has no room left for his soup.

That child is not just Fussy personified, he is a complete anomaly. He will gag and protest over broccoli and lentil soup, yet he will ask for a second helping of chestnut pie, request pistachio and blood orange gelato for dessert and is obsessed with double salted Dutch licorice. Go figure that one out for me please!


Lemon and Lentil Soup

During the colder months I make a pot of this soup at least once a week as we never tire of it. I tend to serve it with 'cheesy fingers' - the adult translation of that would be grilled cheese on sourdough toast cut into soldiers. It does tend to thicken up when it cools so just add a little more stock or water to it when reheating it.

 
Ingredients

Olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2 carrots, finely diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

300g red lentils

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp dried mint

1 tsp hot paprika

 Fresh thyme, finely chopped

 Zest and juice of a lemon

400g tin of diced Italian tomatoes

2 litres of chicken or vegetable stock

Sea salt & freshly ground pepper

Natural organic yogurt, optional

 
Method

1. Gently heat the olive oil in a large pot over a low heat. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and then add the cumin, dried mint, hot paprika and lemon zest and gently sauté for 10 minutes or until the vegetables soften.

2. Add the lentils, stock, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes, lemon juice and thyme and gently simmer. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over a medium heat for 15-20 minutes.

3. Stir occasional and season to taste. The soup is ready once the lentils have broken down and become creamy.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and add a spoonful of yogurt before serving.