Winter Lentil Soup

The winter is here a few months earlier. We spend the better part of this season indoors. If you have not noticed already, this is also the time when we like munching on something all the time (I know I do). I have just the thing for you if you are craving something filling and hot.

The lentil soup is perfect for these months and will keep you fuller for longer. The best part about this soup is, apart from the lentils and tomatoes you can use any vegetables in this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 can of lentils

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 carrot diced

2 stalks of celery diced

1 leak finely chopped

2 cups of chicken/vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1 cinnamon stick

black pepper

sea salt

2 tsp of olive oil

2 puff pastry sheets

 

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time:40 mins

 

Dice the carrots, celery and finely chop the leak. In a pan add olive oil and saute the leak for 1min on medium heat. Add the carrots and celery and saute for additional 2 mins. Add the bay leaf and the cinnamon stick to the pan.

 

Add the lentils, tomatoes and mix the soup thoroughly. Add freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste. Add the stock, cover it and let it simmer for 20 mins.

 

Meanwhile pre-heat the oven at 180 Deg. C. Prepare 2 oven proof soup bowls. Cut one of the pastry sheets in to rectangular strips. Wrap the rectangular strips around the soup bowls. Half of the strip should be above the bowls edge and the other half should be secured on the bowls side from outside. Using a stencil larger than the bowls opening cut 4 circles of the pastry sheets. Apply butter to the circles and arrange one each on top of the other two.

 

Divide the soup between the two bowls. Place the double layered circular pastry sheet on top of the soup bowls and seal it with the rectangular strips that are

around the bowl using a fork. Apply some more butter on the top of the pastry circles. Bake it in the oven for 20 more minutes.

 

When the pastry sheets are nice and golden brown, the soup is ready. Just crack the top of the sheet with a spoon and let some heat escape before you dig in. Enjoy the soup with puff pastry.

 

If you wish not to bake the soup in the oven using pastry sheet boil it for total of 40 mins on stove top.