French Lentil vegetable soup with a hint of chilli

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

1/2 cup French lentils soaked and drained
250ml of vegetable or chicken stock
50ml water
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1/2 red chilli cut in large pieces
1 potato peeled and diced in small squares
1 small carrot peeled and diced finely
1 small baby bok choy

Place chicken stock, water and lentils into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil, add the chilli, potato, carrot and bok choy and stir through gently as bok choy will need to wilt down (break down smaller pieces if does not fit the pot).  Test the soup to your desired salt levels.

Cook the soup for around 30 minutes simmering.  Serve with crusty bread and butter. Delicious!!

Red lentil, celery and taleggio soup

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Serves 4 - 6

1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 cup of red lentils
2 litres boiled water
1 vegetable stock cube
2 stalks of celery cut finely
3 carrots peeled and chopped
60g taleggio cheese cut into small squares (approx 6 squares per bowl)
1/3 cup of fresh chives chopped fine

Heat oil in saucepan and place onion into pan.  Cook slightly but do not brown.  Then add lentils with boiled water and vegetable stock cube.   Add the celery and carrot and bring to the boil.  Simmer for around an hour.

Turn heat off and use a hand blender or any mixer to blend soup to a puree.

Then heat up again but not until boiling point.  Place a large soup ladle into the soup and place into individual bowls.  Then add the cheese and chives into the centre of each bowl.

Thanks to my local deli cleos  for great advice on the type of cheese to use. Normally a blue cheese is used with lentil soups but this was a great choice as it was not stringy it was smooth and a little salty but perfect!

Serve hot with crusty bread.

Amazing!

Note:  as an alternative for kids i made pasta chicken noodle soup with fresh chicken stock and ladled one ladle of this lentil soup into their chicken soup so they could at least get a little extra flavour!