Red Lentil and Apricot Soup

This is one of my favorite fall soup recipes. It's easy to make and tastes great.

I found it in a cookbook called Please to the Table that specializes in Russian Food.

This soup is great on it's own, but I like to use it as a sauce for pumpkin raviolis that are available at my neighborhood pasta store only at this time of year.

Reluctant Gourmet’s Tips :

Using a hand blender to puree the soup in step 4 is easier than transferring to food processor.

Red Lentil and Apricot Soup
makes 6 servings

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1-1/2 cup dried split red lentils, rinsed
• 5 cups of homemade chicken stock
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop the garlic & onions.

Chop the apricots.

Rince the red lentils being sure to remove any small pebbles.

Peel, seed & chop the plum tomatoes

You are ready to start cooking this wonderful soup.

1. In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and dried apricots. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 12 minutes.

2. Add the lentils to the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

3. Stir in tomatoes, cumin, thyme, and salt and pepper. Simmer, covered for another 10 minutes.

4. Remove half the soup and puree it in a food processor or blender. Return the puree to the pot and season with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 2 to three minutes and serve.