Spiced Tomato and Lentil Soup with Fried Halloumi
Serves 2-3
So, my camera
is broken. I need to get it fixed, but for the time-being I am too scared to
find out how much repairs will be. Instead, I'm sticking my head in the sand
and trying to make do with my phone camera. I am a massive fan of Nigel Slater,
and the photographs in his diary-style cookbooks aren't the sharpest quality,
but look almost more homely, appetising and comforting because of this. Maybe
it's the 90s child nostalgia of flipping through a cookbook where the photos
aren't fantastic quality and overexposed. They simply are they way you picked
them up from the shops, wrapped in that flimsy paper envelope with the
negatives in the back.
This recipe
seems to fit well with the same nostalgic, comforting feel. I am over the warm
London weather. Some how I am actually missing the rainy, grey skies and the
need for a duvet. The fan noise is starting get old. I want lentil soups and
hearty stews.
Recipe:
- 1 small onion (red or
yellow), minced
- 1 tbsp of curry
powder
- 1/4 tsp of
cardamom
- 1 large jar of tomato
sauce, about 750ml
- 125g of halloumi
- 120g of lentils
- 250ml of vegetable
stock
- salt and pepper to
taste
Preparation:
·
Wash the
lentils thoroughly, cover with water and bring to a boil.
·
Cook until al
dente, you want them to retain a nice bite. This should take approximately 15
minutes. Once done, set aside.
·
Meanwhile in
a moderate sized pot, fry the minced onion in a generous glug of oil on a
medium heat.
·
Once golden
brown (about 5-10 minutes), add the curry powder and cardamom.
·
Coat the
onion in the spices, then add the tomato sauce and vegetable stock. Bring to a
steady simmer, season to taste. Avoid over-salting as the halloumi will be
salty! Once warmed through, cover whilst you fry the halloumi.
·
Cut the
halloumi into 2 cm cubes, fry on a medium high heat until golden brown on both
sides.
·
Simple plate
up by layering the soup on top of the lentils and finally topping with the
fried halloumi. For garnish, spinach or fresh coriander would be lovely.
·
Enjoy!
This recipe
was inspired by a fantastic recipe by Naturally
Ella.
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