Hearty Brown Lentil Soup

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I just love lentils so when i spotted this recipe in a book i couldn't resist making it. the recipe says you can add other vegetables such as tomatoes, spinach, leeks, peppers, squashes, and root vegetables if available, but on my first try i stuck faithfully to the recipe, though i did halve it. from a book called love soup'."

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Steps

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Rinse the lentils and put them in a large pot with 10 cups water and 2 tsp salt.

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(i added the salt towards the end of the cooking period as salt added at the start of cooking can make the lentils hard.

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Finely dice the carrots , celery and potatoes and add them to the pot , along with the bay leaf and thyme.

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Bring the water to the boil , lower heat and simmer soup , loosely covered for about 1 hour.

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Meanwhile chop the onion medium fine and saute it in 2 tblsps olive oil , stirring often over a medium heat until it softens.

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Add the chopped garlic and keep cooking and stirring until the onion begins to colour , about 10 minutes.

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Add the onion and garlic to the soup as it simmers.

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Lightly toast the cumin seeds in a small pan , stirring constantly for a few minutes until they are fragrant.

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Grind the cumin in a mortar or spice grinder and add it to the soup , along with 1 tblsp lemon juice and plenty of black pepper.

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Add the vegetable broth and the fresh herbs , bring the soup bac.

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Ingredients

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brown lentils, sea salt, carrots, celery ribs, potatoes, bay leaf, thyme, onion, olive oil, garlic, cumin seeds, lemon juice, black pepper, vegetable stock, cilantro, parsley