Guest Post: Red Lentil Soup, Spicy and Sweet

I'm working on something Thanksgivingish at the moment for our old pals at the Huffington Post (which I always type as "Huggington Post," a typo so heartwarming, I had to share). 

So, Maggie is here today--all the way from Copenhagen, land of, among other things, inspiring cyclists and amazing-sounding produce. I've never cooked anything but baked goods with dried fruit, but the apricots here seem so perfect. I must try this. Oh, Maggie. Come back soon, ok?

P.S. If you're looking for Thanksgiving inspiration, try the archive at the right (all the 10s/11s/12s will get you to some cool weather foods). Or check back Monday to see what I've cooked up for the HuggPo.



I’ve recently relocated to Copenhagen and am still working out the kinks in my cooking groove. The other day I made big strides after biking home with 5kg of fresh organic produce from Københavns Fødevarefællesskab. This translates to something like Copenhagen’s Food Community, and, as the name suggests, it’s a lot like a CSA. But there are two big differences. The first is that instead of being linked to a specific farm, it’s organized by the purchasers who source from a rotating set of farmers. This means that, and here’s the second difference, rather than signing up for a season, you sign up each week. You can skip whenever you want, or double up if you’re expecting guests or planning a dinner party. And since the whole thing is run by the buyers, joining the community means not just dropping dough for your weekly share, but donating three hours each month to help keep things running (assembling produce bags, signing up new members, etc.).

First bag was a treasure trove: apples, parsnips, spaghetti squash, chili peppers, tiny red onions, potatoes, and the most oystery-looking oyster mushrooms you ever did see. A bunch of these things went into this great red lentil soup, perfect for foggy autumn nights—

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tiny red onions, or 1 medium sized regular one
6 small potatoes chopped into ¾ in chunks
2 large garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
1 red chili pepper
9 black apricots, dried
1 cup red lentils, dried
1 can diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth

Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Dice the onions and throw ‘em into the pot once the oil is hot. While they’re browning, wash, peel and cube the potatoes. Throw the potatoes in the pot and let them sauté for a bit while mincing the garlic. (If it seems like anything in the pot is starting to burn, pour in a few splashes of water.) Stir in the garlic along with some salt and pepper (I like more of both, you may like less). Seed and mince the chili pepper and put it in the pot along with the vegetable broth, the diced tomatoes and the lentils. Chop up the apricots into small pieces and then add them to the pot. Give the mixture a quick stir or two and then cover and let the combo simmer for 40 minutes or so. It’ll probably be ready to eat when the lentils have cooked after 20, but the longer you leave it on the stove, the more the broth will thicken and the apricots will plump and start to fall apart.

Makes 2 hefty servings.