Black Silk Soup
Black lentils sound exotic and mysterious. Most folks are well familiar with the ordinary brown lentils. Who hasn’t had a bowl of lentil soup? The black lentils are one of many varieties now readily available in bulk at stores like “Whole Foods”, where I found them for a budget friendly price of $2.99 per pound. Lentils are a good source of protein, which accounts for about 30% of the calories in lentils. The percentage of protein ranks very high in the legumes, only bested by soybeans and hemp. This soup has a rich and soothing flavor along with a nice level of fire from the chipotle pepper. You can tone it down with some sour cream at the table or skip the chipotle if you are a certified mild one.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium onions, peeled and finely minced
- 2 cups black lentils, sorted and rinsed
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
- Sour cream (optional)
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion become transparent. Add lentils, broth, water, liquid smoke, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cilantro, salt and black pepper and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 to 3 hours stirring often. Serve piping hot.
Makes about 6 to 8 serving.
Recipe Copyright Bill Hufnagle 2015.
