Lentil and cilantro soup

It's winter, so soups are in order. This one was inspired by a simple lentil and cilantro soup that came with a meal Josh and I enjoyed last winter break in Montreal at an afghani restaurant called Kyber Pass. I've added carrots because their taste just marries well with lentils and I also added onion and garlic.

Pick over 1/2 cup of green lentils and add them to a pot with 5 cups of vegetable broth or cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until the lentils are soft, about 4o minutes. Don't salt the broth or water; doing so will prevent the lentils from softening.

Meanwhile, peel 4 carrots and cut them into very small pieces. Mince half a medium onion and three cloves of garlic. Wash and mince about half a cup of fresh cilantro. Sautee the carrots, onions and garlic with in a generous amount of olive oil over low heat until the carrots are just soft, about 10 minutes. While this cooks, add about a teaspoon of cumin and salt and pepper to taste. At the very end of cooking, add the cilantro, stir and cook a few more minutes.

When the lentils are done, add the carrot, onion, garlic and cilantro mix. Add more water if you want a more liquidy soup, and adjust the salt if necessary.

Makes two generous portions or four first course servings.

Sweet potato and lentils à l'indienne

To make this delectable one-pan dish for two, all you need is one large sweet potato (peeled and diced), one large onion (chopped), a few cloves of garlic (minced), a good bunch of fresh cilantro (washed and chopped fine), about 3/4 cups French lentils and this spice combo: 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 tsp ground coriander, a pinch each of ground cinnamon and ground cloves, and freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

In a pot, sautee the onions in a few tablespoons of olive oil over heat until translucent. Add the sweet potato and and the lentils and stir to cover with oil. Add the spice combo and just enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer until the potatoes and lentils are soft, about a half hour. Stir occasionally ; you may need to add a little water as you go. When the potatoes and lentils are soft, remove about half of them into a bowl and mash them with the back of a fork. Put them back into the pot along with almost all the cilantro. Stir and allow to cook for about 5 or 10 more minutes.

Serve in bowls with the rest of the cilantro sprinkled over the top.

If you wanted it to be a heartier meal, serve over brown rice.