Curried Lentil Soup

I got this recipe from my daughter, Linden, who got it from a chef in Maryland. It’s a great, comforting winter soup.

1 quart dried red lentils

3 1/2 quarts chicken stock or water,

or mixture of the two

1 can peeled, chopped tomatoes

1 small onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh garlic

2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

2 rounded tablespoons Madras curry powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 lemon, juiced.

Sour cream (optional)

Rinse lentils. Place in large pot with chicken stock or water and bring to a simmer. In a skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder. Saute for 30 seconds. Add these ingredients and salt to lentils. Cook at low simmer for about an hour. Lentils should be very tender and flavors mixed.

In batches, put soup in food processor. Blend until smooth. Add fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve topped with dollop of sour cream.

Note from daughter, Linden:
This soup has a wonderful creamy texture, with very little fat. We eat it with crusty bread, which we dip in the soup - yum!