Red lentils are an easy-to-cook and versatile legume. They don’t need to be soaked before cooking, the texture quickly becomes soft and creamy, so red lentils are most often used in soups and curries. This red lentil soup is an inexpensive way of getting a wide variety of nutrients, as lentils are packed with B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and potassium, and they are also a great source of iron and protein.

Ingredients:

• 250 g (~8 3/4 oz) red lentils (they don’t need to be soaked)
• 1 tbsp lard
• 150 g (~5 1/3 oz) smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 medium tomato, peeled and diced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground caraway seeds
• 1 bay leaf
• 1,5 liters (~6 1/3 cups) stock (or 1,5 liters / 6 1/3 cups water + 1-2 stock cubes)
• 3 heaping tbsp sour cream

In a pot heat lard, add sausage slices and fry until crispy. Transfer the sausages onto a plate and set aside. Add chopped onions to the hot lard and sauté until translucent. Stir in carrots and tomatoes, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add minced garlic, red lentils and bay leaf, then pour in stock. Season with salt, ground black pepper and ground caraway seeds. Over medium low heat cook for 20-25 minutes until all vegetables are tender. Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaf and purée the soup with an immersion blender. In a small bowl mix together sour cream and some hot soup, then pour the mixture into the soup. Serve with the sausage chips.

(Peeling tomatoes: cut a shallow X on the bottom of each tomato. Carefully lower them into boiling water until the skin begins to peel back, then place them into a bowl of cold water. Let the tomatoes sit in the bath for 3-4 minutes or until you see the peels shrivel and start to peel off. Peel the skins off with your hands.)