In we went.
So perfectly did it hit the spot, and so startling were its mood-altering after-effects, that I was soon antsy to head home and rattle some pots and pans in an attempt to replicate its spicy, nourishing goodness.
And so below, without further ado, is my version of that memorable soup, which - may be I be so bold as to suggest - packs even more of a punch than the original.
Tomato, Chilli and Red Lentil Soup
- 350 gm or so of red lentils (no not brown, red)
- large clove or two of garlic (as locally grown as possible - see Tips)
- large brown onion
- 2 x 400g cans of peeled roma tomatoes
- 1-2 threateningly red birdseye chillis (don't wimp out)
- seasonings: sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and some Noosa Chilli or Tabasco sauce (see Tips)
- trailer-load of fresh coriander
- fried shallots (for garnish and crunch: indispensable)
Step 2: Finely dice onion and garlic and fry gently in olive oil in a heavy based pot until soft and golden. Then stir through 1-2 finely chopped chillis. Be gutsy - this soup needs heat.
Step 3: Add tomatoes (pureed makes life easier), sea salt, freshly ground pepper, and, for a bit of extra heat-plus-flavour, a splash or two of Noosa Chilli or Tabasco Sauce. Let simmer for around 15 minutes on very low, with the lid on. Don't reduce too much, it just needs to cook through and develop a rich, tomatoey goodness.
Step 4: Add your cooked lentil gruel to your rich tomato sauce. You mightn't need to add it all: Go roughly 50-50, but err on the side of tomato. Lentils are pretty bland, but they add a satisfying body and texture. You do, however, need the colour and richness of the tomato to shine through.
Step 5: Taste and adjust seasonings. Then just before serving - just before, mind - stir through your trailer-load (okay, about a cup or so) of chopped coriander (finely chopped roots included). Ladle into bowls and garnish with a generous shovel of fried shallots and yet more coriander. What was that? You don't like coriander? Pffffff .....
Tips
- Noosa Chilli X-Rated Oak-Aged Chilli Sauce is available at the Eumundi Markets, or online from their site. Tabasco's fine but this is seriously good.
Okay ... cough ... I'm ready to confess that I used to buy cheap, imported garlic. I mean, Aussie garlic is around $30 a kilo. Then, one fine day, I met a food auditor who had worked in China. We spoke at length about heavy metal (and I don't mean Led Zep) and dodgy certificates. $30 a kilo began to sound rather a bargain. It took, however, some painfully obvious marketing by the nice folks at Cooroy Fruit Bowl to talk me out of false economising forever. See that photo? There were three enormous cloves in this bag. Only $2.95. Less than a cup of coffee. Lasts 1-2 weeks, even with heavy-users like us. And the flavour is incredible. - Tomatoes: With food miles in mind, I'm tending towards Aussie canned tomatoes as well. I've got to hand it to the Italians though, they are way ahead with canned organic produce. And their labels have always been dead sexy: All those colour-saturated graphics of buxom, brunette peasant girls balancing vegie-laden baskets seductively on their hips. Come to think of it, if I were an Italian mamma, I'd have rows of glass jars of my own, plump, home-grown, home-preserved tomatoes. Now there's a thought ...
2 comments:
ah. A recipe written like no other. It has gone to J but I might have to wait until next weekend, after Nundle.
You've got him locked in some sort of sweat shop/soup kitchen, haven't you?
Glad you're enjoying them.
Have a blast in Nundle!
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