Lentil, Lime and Coriander Soup

Lentil, Lime and Coriander Soup.

This soup is the third of four recipes provided by the Hospitality teaching team at Perth College UHI. Thank you – you know who you are! The great thing about their recipes are the quantities – they work in portions of ten, great for dinner parties and larger gatherings. No need to scale up a recipe for four. So if you’re looking for recipes for ten, check out this one or the two previous recipes they provided:

• Moroccan Spiced Tomato and Chickpea Soup
• Spanish Style Three Bean Soup

Lentil, Lime and Coriander Soup

Serves 10 (330ml portions)

Difficulty Easy

Suitable for Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free diets

Ingredients

• 100g margarine {I used rapeseed oil instead}
• 85g puy lentils
• 225g red lentils
• 3 sticks celery – chopped
• 400g onion – chopped
• 200g carrot – chopped
• 400g red pepper – chopped
• 60g garlic – chopped or paste
• 2 limes – zest and juice
• 130g tomato purée
• 25g coriander
• 2 litres vegetable stock {I used Marigold bullion}
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Cook the puy lentils in enough water to cover them plus an additional 5cm. Simmer for 20 minutes then drain and set aside.
2. Heat the margarine or oil in your soup pan over a medium heat. Add the celery, onions, red pepper, red lentils and garlic. Continue to cook over a medium heat – stir constantly for 5 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable stock, lime zest, tomato purée and simmer over a low heat for 30 minutes until the vegetables and red lentils are tender.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the coriander and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve if necessary into another saucepan.
5. Add the cooked puy lentils. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice to taste.
6. Heat through.

Although the recipe suggests you blend the soup, it also looks lovely without blending and I would happily serve it ‘as is’ pre-blend.

Be careful with your balance of coriander and lime. It would be easy for either to dominate. Best add a little of each until you’re happy with the flavour. I served with a wedge of lime on the side which looks nice but also lets the diner ramp up the lime if they so choose.

I added a swirl of chilli infused rapeseed oil. It doesn’t show in the photo but the flavour worked well. The final touch are some lentil crisps, just for a bit of extra crunch. Check the ingredients carefully if you’re adding any similar toppings – they may not be suitable for a gluten free diet.

Enjoy!

Val x