moroccan lentil soup
with beef and bell peppers
My husband and I used to live in Amsterdam roughly 2 years ago. Last month we decided to travel back to visit with a few friends. While we were there, I was chatting with our friend, Jeff, and he told me about a few soup recipes that he enjoyed. Since I love soup, I asked him to send me his favourite recipes! This moroccan lentil was one of them.
I did alter the recipe slightly from the original to make it quicker to make (and added meat). You can make this recipe vegetarian by omitting the beef and substituting the beef broth for water or vegetable broth.
makes: about 14 cups
ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ yellow onion, sliced
1 pound stewing beef, cubed
1 rib celery, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
32 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
½ green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ yellow bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
½ orange bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
½ teaspoon cayenne, ground
1 tablespoon turmeric, ground
2 cups dried lentils, soaked in water for 2 hours
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt & black pepper, to taste
fresh cilantro (garnish)
directions
step 1 Heat the olive oil in a soup pot (or, Dutch oven) over high heat. Add the garlic and stir well. When it begins to turn brown, add the onion. Stir well.
step 2 After the onion has softened, add the chunks of beef. Be careful not to overcrowd the meat. Turn the meat to brown all sides.
step 3 After the meat has browned, add the celery, carrot, cumin, coriander and season with salt and pepper. Stir well. Lower the heat to medium. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes.
step 4 Add the can of tomatoes and their juice, the bell peppers and ½ cup of water to the onion mixture. Stir well. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes or until he mixture bubbles and steams. Remove from the heat.
step 5 Fill another pot with 4 cups of beef broth, cover and bring to a boil. Then add the ginger, cayenne and turmeric.
step 6 Drain and rinse the lentils and add to the boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook for 15 to 30 minutes or until they are just tender.
step 7 After the lentils have cooked, place the tomato mixture back on the heat to medium. Add the lentil mixture and stir well. Heat to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice. Stir well to incorporate.
step 8 Serve garnished with fresh cilantro and serve!
