No big intro here, just Mama Mona’s soup. Perfect for cold days and it’ll keep in the fridge for yummy, filling lunches. I know y’all don’t think ahead like this BUT for those of you who are about it, you can also freeze portions flat in zip-lock bags and defrost when you want some soup.

Recipe

1. Wash your lentils in a colander and run water until it runs clear, or put them in a bowl and rinse, drain and repeat.
2. Into a pot – add everything. Lentils, veggie chunks, and water or stock. You want the level of liquid to be double the level of the lentils. Add cumin and salt. Let it come to a boil uncovered and then lower to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes.
3. Stick an immersion blender in that thang, or transfer in batches to a blender.

• I usually will do the following: batch in the blender, blend, and pour into a separate bowl. I continue until it’s all been through the blender once, and then reverse the process and put batches into the blender from the bowl and empty back it into the pot.

4. Taste for salt. If it’s too thick, add water. If it’s too watery, cook it down. If the texture is strange, blend it more. It should be creamy and delicious. If you like it spicy, add cayenne to taste and see what happens.
5. Add olive oil, clarified butter, or regular degular butter in a separate pot. If you have vermicelli or orzo or another baby pasta, toast a handful of it CAREFULLY over LOW heat while standing over it and stirring FREQUENTLY until it’s golden and happy. Add ass many servings of soup as you’re about to eat and stir the noodles in. Raise the heat to medium and cook until the noodles are cooked through.