Hi guys! How is it Thursday again already?!
I made this beautiful soup the other day, which I didn't think was going to be anything much but as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of the invention of great soups :) I was trying to think of ways to use up a tired looking cabbage and this turned out to be a huge winner! It was spicy, salty, sweet and sour....and such a gorgeous colour!
And even though spring has definitely sprung:
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| Saturday afternoon in our neck of the woods |
The nights and days are still a little chilly, and I'm never one to turn down an opportunity to make soup :)
I love using lemon in vegetable soups too, it gives such a freshness to it which is perfect for this time of year, and it also really lifts the earthy cumin in the soup too. Cumin is fast becoming one of my favourite spices to cook with. It's a wonderful spice to use if you want an earthy but mild flavour. Just don't be like my sister and put cumin in your banana muffins instead of cinnamon!
By the way I totally recommend getting a pestle and mortar if you haven't got one - the flavour of freshly ground seeds is markedly better than ready ground. And it's a good upper body workout ;)
Go green soup
Serves 4
Olive oil or cooking spray
1 large leek, washed and sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon ground cumin seeds
500g/2 cups green lentils
3 bay leaves (I have a bay tree so use fresh)
1 litre vegetable stock, plus 1 cup water
Salt and pepper
1 whole medium green cabbage, washed and shredded
Spinach, as much as you like
Any other green vegetable you like
Juice of 2 lemons
Heat the olive oil or cooking spray in a large stock pot. Add the leek, onion and garlic and gently sweat on medium heat until soft. I used a garlic flavoured rapeseed oil, in which case you wouldn't need the extra garlic...unless of course you love garlic!
Add the ground cumin seeds and cook for a few minutes. Then add the green lentils and bay leaves, stir to get everything coated nicely and then add the vegetable stock. Add salt and pepper, bring to the boil and then simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through. Add water if it needs it.
Add the chopped cabbage, spinach and any other vegetables you're using. You may need a bit more water, depending how thick you want the soup. Cover and cook for a few minutes or until the cabbage is tender and the spinach has wilted. Add the lemon juice.
Puree with a hand blender until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Serve and enjoy your good-for-you go green soup!
I'm looking forward to getting my next veggie box tomorrow and seeing what seasonal spring goodies I have to cook with this week. What dishes do you like to cook this time of year?
More soon! x
good golly, this looks delicious! i'm going to make some this weekend - thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first moved in with my current housemates, they'd never cooked with cumin before. I promptly bought some (I use it 3-4 times per week at least) and Beth put some in her apple crumble instead of cinnamon! So your sister is not alone :)
ReplyDeleteIt's supposed to be autumn here in Perth but it's still ridiculously hot, so we've been having lots of bbqs and salads. LOVE summer!!
I'm loving soup too it's so easy and you can make a big pot, store in the fridge and have easy lunches perfect! That soup looks delicious x
ReplyDeleteLast winter I usually made soup every weekend, but this year the pot hasn't been out all that much. Will need to give it a workout or two before the warm weather sets in. Soups good for the soul. MMMMMMM
ReplyDeleteWe had a cabbage to use up this week too. Didn't think of soup but made yakisoba. Only I didn't want to buy yakisoba sauce since we only have another 2 weeks here so I made it from scratch. I recommend it if you aren't in a soup mood.
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