A bag of French lentils, or lentils du Puy, have been staring me in the face for weeks. These little green beauties, which are grown in the Le-Puy-en-Velay commune in the Haute-Loire department of south-central France, are wonderful. They have a nutty flavor that I really like, and they stay firm after cooking. While they’re perfect for soup, they’re also a nice addition to a salad, and I’ve also used them to make Nepalese Dal.
We added crumbled goat cheese and roasted rosemary cashews, which give the soup a tangy flavor and nutty crunch.
- 1 yellow squash (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- 1 zucchini (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- ½ white onion (diced)
- ¼ of a
- buttercup
- or butternut squash (cut into ½ inch cubes)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 large leaves of kale (chopped)
- 1 quart (32 oz or 946ml) vegetable stock
- 1.5 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups of water
- 1.5 teaspoons dry basil
- 1.5 teaspoons curry powder
- 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cooking the lentils: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add 1 cup of French lentils. Simmer over medium heat until the lentils are tender. Add a teaspoon of salt to the water (after they're finished cooking as this keeps the legumes tender) and allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Dice the onion, cut the buttercup squash into ½ inch cubes (peel first if using butternut).
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to your soup pot, then add the onions, carrots and buttercup squash. Allow to cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the spices plus 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for another 3 minutes. Toss in the yellow and zucchini squash, then add the stock, tomato sauce, and water.
- Cook over low to medium heat (gentle boil) for 15 minutes. Drain the lentils and add to the soup with the chopped kale. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste.