Lentil Apricot Soup With Roasted Kale
Category: Soups & Salads | Blog URL: http://seriouslysoupy.blogspot.com/2010/01/lentil-apricot-soup-with-roasted-kale.html
This recipe was entered in The Foodista Best of Food Blogs Cookbook contest, a compilation of the world’s best food blogs which was published in Fall 2010.
Photo: Serena Norr
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About
Lentil soup has been done before and that is by no means a bad thing! I love this savory and complex bean-soup, but I have made it zillions of times (yes, zillions) with the same-old recipe (carrots, lentils, celery, spinach, and various spices) that I'm sure I could make in my sleep, if I had to. Not that I don't love that comforting and super simple combination, but I wanted to mix things up a bit and try a new variation on this classic little soupy. Assessing my inventory, I had some dried apricots that I thought would be a nice pairing for its complex sweet and tart-like taste and I have never cooked with apricots before, so why not now? I also thought kale would be a good choice and opted to roast it to add a rich and garlicly taste, along with some standard items (carrots, celery, onions, and spices) to complete the soup. I had NO idea how this was going to taste, or even if this medley was going to work, but when creating your own soups you have to stick to your gut (even when other people are telling you it's a weird idea) and I couldn't have been happier with the result. I was actually a little surprised at how well the flavors blended—slightly sweet, a little kick from the cumin and bay leaves, and a hearty texture. As a reached for my second bowl (It was THAT good), I realized that the only thing that changed was the addition of two ingredients (roasted kale and apricots), but this significantly altered the soup and created a new taste with hints of my comforting favorite. It was pretty incredible, so much so that it has me re-thinking various ways to prepare lentil soup, and not-so-much about the traditional way that I used to clutch onto. It's good to remember that with soups you can have one main ingredient (lentils), but vary it up in many different ways (kale, apricots, and maybe beets for next time?) that creates a new twist on an old fav. This soup definitely reminded me of this simple concept and one that I think will really expand my (and yours) soupy recipe portfolio. Check out this new twist on creating a lentil soup: