Spiced Lentil, Bacon and Cauliflower soup with Fried Walnuts and Parsley
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried red lentils
- 8 ounces uncooked bacon, small-diced
- 1¼ cups small-diced yellow onion (about 1 medium onion)
- 1 cup small-diced carrot (about 2 medium carrots)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 plump cloves)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- 1 medium cauliflower, leaves and core removed, cut into 1-inch florets
- 1 tablespoon plus ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 5½ cups chicken stock
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 2 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
Instructions
- Place dried lentils in medium bowl and cover with water in excess of 2 inches. Soak overnight, or 8 to 10 hours, in advance of preparing the soup. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve, rinse well and set aside. In a 6-quart Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Strain out diced bacon and set aside to drain. Pour fat into a jar and add 1 cup back to the Dutch oven. (Reserve any remaining fat for future use.) Add onion, carrot, garlic, cinnamon, coriander, cumin and red chili flakes to the Dutch oven. Sauté over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes, or until the onions begin to sweat. Add cauliflower, lentils, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and bay leaf. Allow soup to come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 25– 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender and the cauliflower easily falls apart when mashed. Remove soup from heat and transfer to a blender. Purée in batches, if necessary, starting slow and low so the hot liquid won’t pop up inside the bowl. Pulse several times, then gradually increase speed for 1–2 minutes, until the soup is smooth and creamy. Transfer soup back to pot. Add apple cider vinegar, honey and all but 3 tablespoons of bacon (which will be used for garnish). Mix the soup and cover to keep warm. For garnish Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan for about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add walnuts, parsley, lemon zest, golden raisins and reserved 3 tablespoons of bacon. Mix well. To serve Ladle hot soup into 6 serving bowls. Garnish each bowl with fried walnut and parsley mixture and serve immediately.
