Soupy Sundays...

Yesterday I made another soup for lunch. Soup seems like such a good thing to make on Sundays, because there are often leftovers for lunches during the beginning of the work week (some people in this country had to go to work today- I'm looking at you, family members in ONTARIO!).

This week's soup was Fleuri's Curry Lentil Soup, which I found on Rachael Ray's website. The recipe is described as "Indian spices give lentils an exotic touch. Add spinach for color and extra nutrients and serve with naan bread." I don't add the spinach- who needs those extra nutrients? Ick.

Here's the recipe, for those interested in trying it (unfortunately I didn't take a picture this time).

Fleuri's Curry Lentil Soup
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¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
5-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1½ cups yellow, red or green lentils
Salt
2 rounded palmfuls curry powder blend (recipe below)
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
2-3 cups water

Curry Powder:
3 parts coriander
1 part cumin
1 part turmeric
1 part hot chili powder
1 part garam masala
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Heat a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the EVOO, four turns of the pan, garlic, carrot, chili pepper and shallot and cook until the mixture softens, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the lentils and toss to coat in the EVOO; season with salt, to taste, and the curry powder blend or Ras el hanout. Add the stock and water to the soup and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes. Season with salt, if needed. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator for a make-ahead meal.