Red Lentil Soup

In an effort to clear out some of the foodstuffs in our cupboards, I made this recipe for Red Lentil Soup! The best thing about it is that, except for perhaps the red lentils, it incorporates everyday stuff you probably have around the house. Green lentils would do too or even some canned beans you might have on hand. I didn't have any celery so I used celery salt instead of table salt. To waken the dish up, I added a lot of incredibly aromatic fresh ground Tellicherry black pepper from Penzey's and one of my new favorite things, Asian Sriracha hot chili sauce, which can be used on just about any dish that needs a lively, fiery spice--add it to enhance other sauces or fiddle about with frittatas and fish!

Red Lentil Soup

Adapted from epicurious.com
Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh or canned tomato
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried red lentils
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, carrots, tomato, celery, cumin, and salt and sauté, stirring, 2 minutes.

Add lentils, water, and broth and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir in parsley, then season with salt and pepper.