I’ve put off posting this recipe for some time, because I simply could not get a photo that even made this look edible. It just looked like a big brown murky mess. It looked more like somewhere a frog would live, than something you would eat.

But this soup despite it’s appearance is really a great soup in almost every way. It’s not likely to be the type of soup that you would serve to a dinner party, but it is the kind of soup that you would ladle out big hearty servings of to your family with crusty warm bread at the end of a cold day. My kids call it mud soup - because honestly that’s what it looks like if it’s blended up a bit.

It also has the bonus of being very economical to make. Leah and I worked out that it cost roughly $1 a serve and a serve is complete meal in itself. Destitute students take note - this soup is cheap and good! You’ll make your mothers happy if you eat this soup. It’s nutritious and filling and like most soups low in fat. I tend to make a vegetarian version, but you could make this with beef or chicken stock if you preferred.

Have you ever really looked at a lentil? I love looking at green lentils, each one is like a little painting in it’s own right, swirls of green, blue, brown, orange, black and yellow, no two alike. Small, unique works of art. I love to make this soup, not just because it tastes good, but because I get to look at the lentils - yes .. I know .. slightly odd - but we’ll keep that between you and me.

French Green Lentil Soup

This quantity makes enough for roughly 12 good serves - I always make this amount and freeze half of it. It freezes well - but you will need to add a little more stock to the thawed soup when you reheat it. You can halve the recipe easily

It’s also quite delicious with slow roasted tomatoes plopped on the top to serve, if you want to make them bake the tomatoes in a 120C/250F oven for 2 hours with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and a light dash of balsamic vinegar.

• 4 cups french green lentils (De puy)
• 1 medium carrot diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 large leek diced
• 1 Tblspn ground cumin
• 2 Tblspns garlic chopped very finely
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 3L/roughly 3 quarts vegetable stock
• Salt to taste
• pepper to taste

Soak lentils in cold water for 2 hours.

Place in a large saucepan olive oil, carrots, leeks, onion, cumin and garlic on medium heat. Sauté until leeks and onions are transparent.

Add in drained lentils and mix through - add roughly 3/4 of the stock stock, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

Put the lid on and stir every now and then add in more stock if needed if the soup is looking very thick. It normally takes roughly an hour to an hour and a half - it will depend on the lentils though, I’ve found they will vary in cooking time. So you need to test the lentils for doneness periodically.

Soup is done when lentils are tender and have a smooth texture - add salt and pepper to taste.

You can cook the soup past this slightly chunky texture and toss some of it in the blender if you prefer a smoother soup.

But I love it like this, full of texture and hearty.

Do give this one a try, it’s been a family favourite for a very long time and is a great cold day recipe.

Roughly 200 calories per serve - excellent nutritional value for calorie count!

This soup is one that has a special meaning for me. It’s actually a relatively recent addition to my soup repertoire. When my son passed away, a friend of my mother’s made a tomato and carrot soup for us. It was rich and comforting and exactly what we needed. Everyone at the table asked for seconds. I was not in a good frame of mind to be asking people for recipes, so I came up with this version myself.

It has a rich colour and a superb flavour. I often team it up with Cheddar scones. It’s simple, but very tasty. It’s also a vegan soup, as long as you make sure that the stock you use is vegan or make your own vegetable stock from scratch. For some strange reason a lot of the companies that make vegetable stock seem to feel a need to put whey solids in, so just watch for that if you are cooking a vegan version.

Ingredients

• 8 large tomatoes cut in half and roasted slowly in the oven (if you don’t have time they are fine not roasted - the soup just is not as flavourful - it’s also fine with a couple of cans of chopped tomatoes if you are really pressed for time.
• 5-6 medium carrots diced finely
• 2 sticks of celery chopped
• 1 brown onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• fresh oregano chopped - about 2 tspns ( 1 tspn dried)
• 1/2 tspn cinnamon
• 1/2 to 1 tspn chilli powder. (optional)
• 4 cups of vegetable stock (less for thicker soup - more for thinner)
• salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1. Cook the onion and celery in a little oil until the onion is transparent.

2. Add the carrots and cook slightly

3. Add the garlic and cook a little ( do not let this brown - or alternatively you can cut a whole head of garlic and roast with the tomatoes)

4. Pour in the stock add the tomatoes and throw in your herbs and spices

5. Simmer gently until vegetables are soft

6. Purée in a food processor or with a stick blender. Reheat gently- Serve with Cheddar scones.