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Curried Lentil Soup
Background info: An ‘ancient crop for modern times,’ lentils, like other legumes (also called pulses), played an important role in our shift from hunter-gatherers to early farmers. Despite their long-standing prevalence in agriculture, including being one of the earliest domesticated crops to inspire use of intercropping (crops planted in close proximity for optimal growth, such as the ‘three sisters’ planting technique), lentils didn’t make their way onto American plates until the red meat rations during WWII.
The third most widely grown legume in the world, lentils remain an important protein source for many regions and continue to be important, agriculturally, for their positive impact on nitrogen levels in the soil.
—Price-Pottenger
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Serves 8
Ingredients
- 3 medium onions, peeled and sliced; or 3 leeks, washed, trimmed, and sliced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 4 tablespoons butter, or extra Virgin olive oil, or a combination
- 2 cups red or brown lentils, soaked 7 or more hours in warm water
- 2 quarts chicken stock or beef stock, or water plus stock
- 2 or more tablespoons curry powder or curry paste
- ¼ to ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- Sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup crème fraîche (French-style sour cream)
Directions
In a large, stainless steel pot, cook vegetables gently for about one-half hour in melted butter and/or olive oil.
When the vegetables are soft, add stock and lentils, and bring to a boil.
The lentils will produce a great deal of foam – be sure to skim this off.
Reduce heat and add curry powder or paste.
Simmer covered until the lentils are tender – about one-half hour.
Puree the soup with a hand-held blender.
Thin with water to achieve desired consistency.
Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Ladle into heated bowls and serve with crème fraîche.
Note: the crème fraîche should be added in the bowl, and not to the boiling soup in the pot, so that its enzyme content is preserved.
The fat-soluble vitamins in the sour cream act as catalysts for the assimilation of the protein and minerals in the lentils.
Note: Recipes for lacto-fermented vegetables, condiments, fruits, and beverages can be found in Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically-Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats. Available from PPNF.
Published in the PPNF Health Journal
Summer 1996 | Volume 20, Number 2
Copyright © 1996 Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, Inc.®
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