Tag: soup recipe

Tomato-Lentil Soup with Goat Cheese (or Yogurt)

a photo of a bowl of soup. It is tomato red with lentils in it, and has crumbled goat cheese, herbs and lemon zest on top.

I’m loving this tomato-lentil soup! It’s quite simple to make, and is so delicious when you mix in the goat cheese! For those who don’t like goat cheese, yogurt would work well too. I almost always have these ingredients on hand, so it’s a great one to make when I don’t want to go to the grocery store.

The recipe is by Ali Slagle of the NY Times. The method of cooking the tomato paste with garlic and spices at the beginning is new to me, but it really builds the flavours! The recipe called for butter or olive oil, so I made it with olive oil to keep it healthier. It calls for Italian seasoning or oregano or za’atar, so I used za’atar. Za’atar is a spice mix usually containing sesame seeds, oregano, thyme, and sumac. Sumac has a lemony flavour that I love and can be used in so many ways. You can make it yourself, but I just picked some up at a Middle Eastern shop. I used Mild Aleppo or Pul Biber for the pepper flakes, but feel free to use what you have available. The recipe says to serve the soup with a lemon wedge, but I just added the lemon juice to the soup. The lemon flavour was quite pronounced when I tasted the soup right after cooking. I preferred the milder lemon flavour when the coup had cooled and reheated.

This photo shows the pepper, Za’atar and tomato paste that I used. You can also use a small can of tomato paste if you don’t have the tube.

photo showing three packages of food: a dark red ground pepper labelled "mild Aleppo Pepper" with the brand name "Jasmine," a bag labelled "green zaatar seasoning" with the brand name "Sadaf," and a tube of tomato paste with the brand name "la famiglia."

The recipe serves four people, and can be frozen.

What you need:

  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tube (130g/ 4.5oz.) double concentrate tomato paste, or 1 can tomato paste (156mL/ 5.5 oz.)
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon Za’atar,OR Italian seasoning, OR oregano (plus 1/2 teaspoon for the topping)
  • 1/2 teaspoon or more pepper flakes (plus a pinch more for topping)
  • 4.5 cups water
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt OR 1/2 teaspoon table salt
  • juice and zest of one lemon
  • goat cheese (for topping)

What you do:

  • Place a large pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the tomato paste, garlic, coriander, 1 teaspoon of za’atar (or other spices), and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for 2-4 minutes. The tomato will probably stick to the bottom of the pan, but that’s okay. Just keep stirring and let it darken; this isn’t a step you want to rush, as you are developing a lot of flavour.
  • Add the water, lentils, sand salt. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen all the browned bits. Put a lid on and raise the heat; bring it to a simmer, then lower the heat. Put the lid on and let it cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes.
  • While it is cooking, zest and juice the lemon.
  • To make the topping: With your fingertips, mix the lemon zest with the 1/2 teaspoon Za’atar or other spice, a pinch of pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt.
  • When the lentils are soft, stir the lemon juice into the soup pot (add 1/2 and taste to see if you want more… you never know how much juice is in a lemon!)
  • To serve, place some goat cheese on top of each bowl, then sprinkle with the lemon-spice mixture. I enjoyed the soup best when I stirred the goat cheese in, to make it creamy.
  • Enjoy!

My Mom’s Mennonite Borscht – the best!

I absolutely love my mom’s borscht, and yet I have never tried to make it. (Update – oops, this isn’t actually her recipe! This one is good too, but here’s the link to the real deal.) There’s something special about having her make it, and then give me some in a jar to take home.  But I thought I should figure out how to make it, because one day, in a long long time, she’s not going to be making it any more.  Her recipe is from the old “Mennonite Treasury of Recipes,” in which the Mennonite ladies from across Canada contributed recipes.  The first printing was in 1961, and reprinted every year after. Until at least 1975 when mine was printed.  I had it handed down to me by a great-aunt.  The original recipe is called “Cabbage Borscht,” and it includes potatoes, which I left out.  I wanted to freeze some, and I don’t think potatoes freeze well.  I also prefer the taste  it without them. I also use yogurt for putting on top, rather than the cream the recipe calls for.  I added, like my mom, dill.

This borscht has no beets in it! I know, you might think this isn’t even borscht, but trust me, it’s the best kind.  I prefer it with beef, but you can use chicken if you want.  A combination of both is good, too.  I made the broth a day ahead so I could skim the fat off once it cooled, so you’ll want to factor the extra day into it.

What you need:

2 pounds beef bones with some meat on them

8 cups water

2 carrots, sliced into rounds

1/2 head green cabbage

1 medium onion, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 star anise

3 allspice, whole

1 bay leaf

1 & 1/2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh or frozen dill (not dried! ew, it hardly tastes like dill!)

dash of pepper

1 -1&1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

plain yogurt

What you do:

1. Boil the bones in water for at least 1 & 1/2 hours. Add more water as it boils away. Remove the bones and meat, keeping the meat to add to the soup later.  Let the stock cool, then remove the fat from the top.

2. Bring the beef stock to a boil, then add the veggies and spices – everything except the salt, pepper, tomatoes and yogurt.  Cook until the veggies are tender.  Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Spoon some yogurt on top to serve.

My mom (the little one being held) with her cousins in Paraguay. My grandparents moved there from Russia, and then to Canada.