SCOTTISH LENTIL SOUP

SCOTTISH LENTIL SOUP

Going back to my scottish roots with this one. I could really feel my ancestors making this soup. This soup reminds me of being in Scotland with my grandparents. You can't beat a good bowl of hearty lentil soup. My mum and her parents used to make it with a ham hock for extra flavour. I wanted to make a vegan version, so I made this while talking to my mum about how she used to make it, for tips. I topped this soup off with some beautiful micro herbs grown locally at @lightfootsfarm. micro herbs, are small versions of vegetables and herbs usually cut within 14 days of sowing: before the first true leaf emerges. As a tiny plant, the new growth is packed with nutrients. 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils 

• 1 leek (finely chopped)

• 6 carrots (3 grated / 3 fine grated) 

• 5-6 potatoes (peeled / quartered) 

• 100g greens 

• 6 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

• Few sprigs thyme 

• 1 tablespoon dry mint 

• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

• 1.8 litres water with 2 stock cubes

• 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil 

• Himalyan salt 

• Black cracked pepper 

Garnish

Fresh parsley, dill, micro herbs 

Method

Wash the starch from the red lentils. Then add to a sauce pan with enough water to cover them, bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes. 

Put another large saucepan on medium heat, add fennel seeds and lightly toast for half a minute before adding rapeseed oil then sweat the garlic for a few minutes. Then add leeks and sweat these for a further few more minutes. Now add the grated carrot and potatoes and sweat these off for about 5 minutes. Add the stock along with the lentils, thyme and greens, give it a good stir and season well. Cook this for about 15 minutes until veggies are tender. 

I like to finish with some fresh herbs, like parsley or dill.