Lentil Cream Soup

Winter has decided to make a comeback and it looks like it is here to stay for a while. No better meal for a cold winter day than a hearty, nutritious and filling lentil cream soup. Winter is the time for soups, especially those thick ones, served really hot.

This lentil soup is loaded with nutrition, easy to make, inexpensive, delicious, low fat and vegetarian (depending on the type of stock you use). It is a meal on its own, especially when served with some rye bread, for example. Lentils are full of protein and fibre and give you a quick energy boost. Besides that they feature lots of cold-busting antioxidants like vitamin C. Perfect for winter time!

U need (serves 4-6)

1 cup of lentils

1 big onion, sliced roughly

1 red and 1 green pepper, sliced roughly

1 carrot, sliced roughly

3 tablespoons of fresh ginger, grated

1 fresh green chili, sliced roughly

1 teaspoon of grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon of marjoram

1.5 liters of vegetable or chicken stock

3 tablespoons of olive oil

250 ml of sour cream

salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

fresh mint, for garnish

salt & pepper

How to make it

Take a soup pan and fry the lentils, onion, peppers, carrot, ginger and chili in it with the olive oil for about 5-10 minutes, continuously stirring it all around. Add the stock, put a lid on the pan and let everything boil gently for about 1-1½ hours, until the lentils are soft. Add the marjoram and nutmeg and let the soup boil gently for another 10 minutes. Give everything one last stir and turn the heat off.

The final step is to puree the soup thoroughly (using a blender) until you obtain a perfectly smooth, velvety texture. Season with salt and pepper. If necessary, heat the soup up again. Remember, it needs to be served hot!

Pour the soup into bowls or soup plates, roughly stir in a few tablespoons of sour cream and decorate with fresh mint, which will give the soup an additional, great flavor.