RECIPE: Red Lentil and Bulgar Wheat Soup (Vegetarian)

Lentils are cheap, quick cooking and nutritious. Same goes for you, Bulgar. I learned how to make this in a Mediterranean cooking class. I wish I still had the recipe, but we all know what kind of student I am. I prefer this soup with chicken stock, but all you veg heads should try it with the veggie stock and let me know how that goes.

Red Lentil and Bulgar Wheat Soup

Serves about 4

1 cup of rinsed red lentils
1/2 cup of bulgar wheat
32 oz veggie or chicken stock
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika or if you have some achiote powder just lying around, throw that in too.
salt and pepper
1 small onion chopped
1 lemon
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh mint
1 tablespoon or so of olive oil

Building the base.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy dutch oven. I use a dutch oven because the cast iron heats up fast and even, while the enamel makes for easy clean up. And it cost an arm and a leg so I feel like I should be using it every chance I get...I'd eat cereal out of it if I could lift heavy things in the morning.

Anyway, add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until they are soft, then add the paprika. Cooking the paprika in the hot oil will allow the spice to "bloom", essentially maximizing the flavor of the spice. Be careful not to burn it. You only need to do this for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the tomato paste.


Making the soup.

Add stock to the pot. I like to add warmed stock. Just keep it in a little pot warming up while you build the base of the soup. Incorporate the stock with the tomato paste. Add lentils and bulgar. Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are done. This shouldn't take more than 10 or so minutes. If the soup is too thick, add some water or more stock. This recipe is not exact...you can adjust the measurements to whatever consistency you prefer. I like it rich and stew like, so I don't add as much water Add salt and pepper to taste.

Finishing touches.

When the lentils are done and the consistency is to your liking, add the fresh parsley, then zest half of the lemon into the soup. The lemon is key to the soup and I do not recommend skipping this ingredient. It really brightens up the whole dish. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh mint. If you have good quality olive oil on hand, you can drizzle a little over the top, but I usually skip it.

I promise to get better at my measurements, but for now I must stress this recipe is not exact. More lentils and bulgar and less stock will make for a thicker soup. More stock, less lentils and bulgar will make it thinner. Lamb is also a great addition to this soup. I will brown the lamb while building the base and add it back in later to finish cooking while the lentils are simmering. I would imagine ground lamb would also be tasty. I will sometimes experiment with difference spices such as cumin or achiote. You can also substitute the mint garnish with basil.