Or what to cook when you have limited finances and only basic cooking utensils.
There are hundreds of variations on lentil soup, which is hardly surprising, given the ubiquity and versatility of lentils, and that people have been making it for millennia. Lentils are mentioned in the Bible, you see. This version tastes as if the Middle East has met the Indian subcontinent, warmed by the cumin and sharpened by the lemon. And that lemon is all important, slicing through the sunbaked feel of the lentils and cumin.
It's doubtful that this will cost you any more than £1.50 (≅ US$2.20; AU$3.20) to produce, and requires equipment no more glamourous than a sharp knife, a pan of sufficient capacity, and a wooden spoon. With some bread, some cheese, and some fruit you've a complete meal. Worth trying? Well, we think so.
Ingrediments to serve four
Method
Heat the oil in a stockpot, or the pan that you use to make soup, add the onion and garlic and fry until the onion is transluscent, which should be three or four minutes.
Whilst the onion and garlic is cooking, rinse your lentils. How much attention this demands is dependent on the state of your lentils, for us it is no more than placing them in a sieve and holding them under the cold tap. When the onion is ready, add the lentils. Stir everything about quickly and then add the stock. Grate in the lemon zest, add the cumin, season, and stir.
Cover the stockpot and leave to cook on the lowest flame for between 30 and 45 minutes, or until the lentils have collapsed but the soup is still a soup, not a puree.
Finish the soup with the lemon juice and serve with a drizzle of olive oil if you're that way inclined.
DEB