Curried Lentil Soup

I love leftovers. After working very hard to put a delicious meal on the table, it’s nice to relax the next day and have leftovers. Of course, my husband and I have very different thoughts on what makes a “leftover.” For him, the concept of leftovers means that you microwave the exact same meal you had the night before. Leftovers – plain and simple. For me, leftovers mean that I can take an already baked chicken, roasted vegetables or pork, or maybe even braised lamb shanks and transform them into a totally different meal – using the already cooked meat and vegetables as the base.

At our house leftovers often transform into quiches, buckwheat crepes (galettes), fried rice, Indian curries and, of course, soup. I had some “leftover turkey” from Thanksgiving and decided to add it to a Curried Lentil Soup to warm us up after shoveling out from the recent snow storm. This recipe is also delicious without any added meat – or you can add some “leftover” roasted vegetables for added flavor. The soup cooks in about 30 minutes, making it a quick and easy meal. Make sure you look carefully through the lentils and rinse them before adding them to the soup. Sometimes there are little stones hiding among the them in the bag.

CURRIED LENTIL SOUP

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 pound green or brown lentils
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup cooked turkey (or your choice of meat or vegetables) - optional

In a medium soup pot, sauté the onion and carrots in the olive oil until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and continue sautéing for another minute.

Stir in the stock, lentils, cumin and curry. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes. If you are adding “leftovers” - add the meat or vegetables to the soup and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes until heated through. The lentils should be soft but not mushy.

I use an immersion blender and briefly purée the soup (about 4 short pulses) to help thicken it. Serve immediately. The soup is extra delicious when topped with a dollop of sour cream.