Pandemic? Raining? Shelter Indoors Make Greek Soup with Singing Lemon!

When you are sheltering indoors, it turns cold, and it is pouring down rain, nothing tastes better than a bowl of hot soup.  I had actually been thinking about this soup since I saw it in the Washington Post.  I must admit that trying to buy-in groceries for sheltering-in was a bit of a challenge.  No lentils?  How can that be?  Who would have thought lentils would be a favorite item? 

I inventoried the pantry and guess what?  I found lentils!  So, I bought everything I needed for the soup, picked some lemons from the tree and made a super tasty pot of soup!

Greek-Style Lentil and Spinach Soup 

with Lemon

Recipe adaptation by Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post

8 Servings (12 cups)

1 pound brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed

10 cups vegetable stock

1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and chopped

2 tsp whole coriander seeds

1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2 1/2 tsp oregano

2 bay leaves

2 medium potatoes, peeled, diced (Yukon gold, red or russet)

10 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 ribs celery with leaves, sliced

3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

2 lemons

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

Combine the lentils, stock, jalapeño, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, oregano, bay leaves in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to low.  Simmer, partially covered for about thirty minutes, until the lentils are tender.  Add additional vegetable stock if needed.

Add the potatoes, spinach and butternut squash, stir,  cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes and squash are tender. 

While the mixture simmers, heat the olive oil in a large fry pan until shimmering. Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until it starts to soften, 5 minutes. Add the celery and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they soften, 4-5 minutes. 

Add the mixture to the soup, deglazing the skillet with a little bit of the broth from the soup, then add the deglazed contents back to the soup pot. Add the salt and pepper, taste, and add more if needed. Remove the bay leaves. 

Thinly slice one of the lemons and cut the other into wedges. Just before serving, stir the lemon juice into the soup.  Serve the soup hot with a lime slice in each bowl.  Pass around the lemon wedges and some crusty bread!

Notes:  It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to ten days.  It can be frozen for up to three months.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

This was a super soup!  The lemon steals the show!  It shines through with each bite!!