Maha's Lentil Soup

Beans Recipes | Soups, Stews, Chowders Recipes

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Start to Finish Time: 90 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

My sister-in-law, Maha Tawil-Copps, is a great cook and comes from a family of great cooks, including her mother, three sisters, and sister-in-law Gemma. Every meal she's ever prepared for me, mostly traditional foods from her native Syria, is a feast for the senses. She's an instinctive cook and an artist by training. "I've tried to follow recipes, but I just can't," she says. "I cook by balance, not measuring cups." This soup -- a traditional dish from Syria and Lebanon -- is one of the simpler acts from her amazing repertoire. Maha once tried using spinach as a substitute for the Swiss chard but vows, "Never again -- it was terrible," although she admits that my mom and Aunt Ginny loved it. One more thing -- and this is important: "Squeeze the lemons over the soup only after you've ladled it into the bowl. If the juice sits in the soup too long, or you reheat it, it ruins everything."

• 4 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 6 to 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons dry coriander
• 1 pound dry lentils, rinsed and picked through
• 8 cups water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 pound vermicelli or angel hair pasta, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 2 fresh lemons
• Fried pita chips or unseasoned croutons

In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, sauté onions in 1/2 cup oil until translucent. Add carrots and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add coriander, stir well to coat vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add lentils and stir well to coat. Add water to cover the ingredients by 3 inches (about 8 cups). Stir in cumin. Cook about 30 minutes, or until lentils are al dente (softened, but not completely cooked). Season with approximately 1 tablespoon salt. Add Swiss chard and cook about 10 minutes. Remove 1 cup of broth and whisk in flour, then whisk back into soup pot.

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, cook pasta in 1 tablespoon oil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add pasta to soup and cook about 8 minutes. Ladle into bowls and squeeze about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice over each serving. Serve with pita chips or croutons.

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