The stress of the unusual times in which we live make me want to call this red lentil soup, coronavirus soup. An off-putting title, so I will not. However, realize that today is March 5, 2020. A pandemic virus is spreading around the globe, and in America, Elizabeth Warren just dropped out of the Democratic Presidential Race.
Jump to Recipe"The times they are a changing" (Bob Dylan)
It is now down to a race between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Dear readers, take a moment and pray that the Democrats defeat Donald Trump and win back the Senate, so that we may save our Democracy, and perhaps reverse our planet's destruction from global warming.
Last Sunday, I went to the Park Slope Food Coop with the thought of perhaps buying some frozen foods to store in my freezer. This was in order to prepare, in case we become quarantined like cities in China or Italy. Everyone was in the same mind set, and I was shocked. For the first time ever (except maybe before hurricanes), the shelves were markedly bare. A lot of people had the same idea. I don't know why this was such a surprise. It was like showing up at a box office to buy tickets and finding 500 people on line ahead of you (probably a bad example since most of us purchase tickets online these days). My grocery bag contained some six-packs of apple sauce and four-packs of peaches upon leaving the store. My appetite for hardly anything had pretty much vanished.
We really don't have to buy processed and frozen food - duh!
Returned home, took a deep breath, and gave my experience some thought during the next few days. This was despite feeling time on the clock was ticking down. My concern with the situation stemmed being a somewhat elderly and immune-suppressed person. Therefore, the virus may be more deadly for me than for a younger, healthier person. Because I usually eat non-processed fresh food, heavy on vegetables, whole grains, and fruits, the idea of purchasing packages of frozen prepared foods was a turn-off. I realized that I could just cook and freeze meals that I prepared myself.
The other day I cooked two batches of soup and froze them in portioned containers. One was Broccoli Rabe and White Bean Soup, a soup recipe previously posted on Cooking the Kitchen. The other was new to my repertoire, a Red Lentil Soup with Spinach, Lemon and Pepper. The recipe was in the "Pantry Recipes" section of "at home in the whole food kitchen" by Amy Chaplin. I have been cooking my way through this cookbook a bit, and enjoy Chaplin's flavorful recipes.
When too lazy to cook, I had been in the habit of buying some red lentil soup from a food take-out place in my neighborhood. Foolish me! A red lentil soup is easy peasy to make, with very little prep and a fast cooking time. It is also economical to make a batch, eat some right away, and freeze the rest to defrost and eat another time. It is strikingly remarkable how the bright orange dry lentils turn a golden yellow when cooked. Here is the recipe for red lentil soup with spinach, lemon, and pepper. Enjoy!
This, that, and the other...
It has barely snowed this winter. Thank goodness for the rain that feeds the plants in the garden. Sometimes the ground has looked so dry. With weather in the 50's lately, it feels like spring is almost here. The vernal equinox is March 20th, so in fact, spring is at our doorstep.
I was joking with friends over dinner recently. Show tunes were playing in the background, and we were singing along to that old chestnut of a musical, "Camelot." You've heard of James Cordon's karaoke in cars. Well, this was karaoke at home with friends. I mentioned that one of my favorite songs from "Camelot" was "The Merry Month of May," and that I usually play it every spring.
But lately, I have been listening to a folk song throw-back from "Central Reservation" by Beth Orton, 1999, "Feel to Believe." I have a distinct memory of standing on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, waiting to meet up with my husband and son. We were going to go out to eat at a restaurant, "La Bouillabaisse," on a Friday after the end of a long work & school week. I had recently purchased the CD "Central Reservation" and was playing it on my cd player, which I had to hold upright in my hand so it would not skip. CD players came before IPod-nanos, and subsequent Itunes on the iPhone, or Spotify.
When my family arrived I shared my earphone for a bit so they could hear the music I was loving. This week, I find myself playing "Feel to Believe" over and over again as I did back in 1999. It seems to fit. "It's my turn to discover."
Feel to Believe by Beth Orton (Central Reservation 1999)
You lose it just to find it
And as you walk right by it
You forget how you got there
And why you never meant to stay
And I won't watch you waste away
And I won't fake another day
And if one truth leads you to fly
I still don't believe in your reasons why
I just don't believe in why
You love her
You need her
To feel is to believe her
You know it
You want it
You just can't believe you've got it
And I can't watch you waste away
And I won't beg you still to stay
And if one truth leads you to fight
I still don't believe in your reasons why
I just don't believe in why
I couldn't watch you walk away and not forget it
I couldn't watch you turn to stone and just regret a single day
Not a single day
Not a single day
Not a single day
If I lose you, could you find me
Or would you walk right by me?
The soul and the spirit each have got their own limit
And I can't waste another second
Living in hell like it's some kind of heaven
And if one truth leads to another
Then isn't there one I can uncover?
There isn't one I will not discover
It's the right time
It's my time
It's the right time
It's my time
It's my turn to discover
And I won't waste a single second
Living in hell as a nadir of heaven
And if one truth leads you to five
I still don't believe in your reasons why
And if one truth leads to another
Isn't there one we can uncover?
There isn't one that we cannot discover
It's the right time
It's our time
It's our time to discover
Red Lentil Soup with Spinach, Lemon, and Pepper
An easy peasy soup recipe, with very little prep, and a quick cooking time. The bright red uncooked lentils turn a shade of golden yellow after cooked. Red lentils have the "ability to dissolve and become a creamy pot of earthy goodness..." Amy Chaplin
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups red lentils washed and drained
- 6 cups filtered water, plus more to taste
- 1-1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/3 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 cups (3-1/2 ounces) baby spinach leaves
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus more to taste
Instructions
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Warm olive oil in a medium-large pot over medium heat.
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Add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until golden.
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Stir in garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes longer.
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Add lentils and water, and bring to a boil over high heat.
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Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30-35 minutes or until lentils are cooked and become creamy. Stir pot every 10- minutes or so to make sure lentils are not sticking. Remove lid, add salt and more water if needed, to reach hyour desired consistency. Cover again and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer or until lentils have completely dissolved and soup is creamy.
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Stir in pepper and spinach, and cook for 1 minute or until spinach is wilted.
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Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
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Season to taste and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper.
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