Lentil Soup + Lemony Yogurt Recipes

How-To Video for Lemony Yogurt, excellent used as garnish for Lentil Soup or as the base of grain bowls with roasted vegetables. Keeps well in the fridge for up to a week. >

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Ingredients - Soup

• 2 t each fennel seed and cumin, whole

• 2 T olive oil

• 2 medium or 1 large onion, diced

• 4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 stalks celery, finely diced

• 2 medium carrots, peeled & finely diced

• 1 T tomato paste

• 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

• 1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes (fire-roasted are best)

• 2 T minced fresh herbs, like parsley, oregano & thyme

• 1.5 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed

• 6-8 cups vegetable stock or bean broth, plus more as needed

• Red wine vinegar to taste, about 2-3 T

Method

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add fennel seeds and cumin, allowing them to toast in the oil. Once the seeds are quite aromatic, add onion and garlic. Stir occasionally while you cut the other vegetables, adding each once they’re chopped and stirring to combine.

After the vegetables have started to soften slightly, add the tomato paste. Use your stirring implement to spread the tomato paste around so that it has maximum contact with the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally until the paste has caramelized in places, 2-3 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, scraping up any bits on the base of the pan.

Add herbs and tomatoes and stir until they’ve cooked down slightly and had a chance to concentrate, 3-5 minutes. Add lentils and broth to pot, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. After simmering for 20 minutes or so, taste and adjust salt and stock level. The lentils will soak up the stock as the soup cools, so add additional stock with that in mind.

Continue to simmer until the lentils are tender and the flavors taste like they’ve all come together. Add red wine vinegar to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls, drizzling each with a bit of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread and/or lemony yogurt.

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Ingredients - Lemony Yogurt

• 16 oz. container 5% Fage Greek Yogurt

• Juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, to taste

• Sprinkle Maldon salt

• 1/4 t. white pepper

Assembly

Put yogurt in medium bowl and whip well with a spatula until fluffy. Add lemon juice, Maldon salt and pepper and mix until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Lentil Soup + Lemony Yogurt Recipes by Chef Rachel Aiken, Family Meal, LLC