When I was in France last spring, I came upon a new series of small one-subject cookbooks. One was devoted to beans and legumes. The recipes were not all vegetarian, but many of them were, and one that caught my eye was a soup that pairs winter squash with split red lentils (masoor dal, an Indian staple).
I loved the idea of this combination. The lentils contribute their great earthy flavor as well as protein, and they act as a thickener for the purée, a more nutrient-rich alternative to the potatoes or white rice I usually use to thicken puréed vegetable soups.
When you cook these coral-colored split lentils (the French call them “lentilles corail,” which describes the color better than our red or the Indian masoor), they fade to yellow, which usually disappoints me because the original pastel color is so appealing. But here the tawny hue of the cooked lentils blends well with the sweet yellow-orange winter squash.
I wanted to pay homage to the red lentils in this soup, so I used Indian seasonings. I simmered ginger, mustard seeds and cumin seeds with the squash and lentils. Then, to enhance the flavor and add a little something to chew on, I sautéed even more mustard and cumin seeds in butter and stirred them into the purée just before serving. I garnished each bowl with a cooling dollop of yogurt. The result is heavenly.
Puréed Winter Squash and Red Lentil Soup
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and diced (about 5 cups diced squash)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
Salt
Black pepper
2 teaspoons butter or ghee
Plain yogurt, for garnish
Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Preparation
1. Heat oil over medium heat in large, heavy soup pot. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
2. Stir in turmeric, squash, red lentils and 2 quarts water. Turn up heat, add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, skim off foam, cover and simmer 35 to 45 minutes, until squash and lentils are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
3. Purée soup using an immersion blender or, working in batches, in a blender (pull a towel down over the top of blender to avoid hot splashes). Return to pot if using blender. Add black pepper, taste and adjust salt, and heat through.
4. Just before serving, heat butter over medium heat in a small skillet or saucepan and add remaining 2 teaspoons mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon cumin seeds. Cook, stirring, until seeds are lightly colored and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir into soup.
5. Serve with a generous dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of cilantro if desired.
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