The Original Soupwoman will be travelling this week, which means no new soup inventions. But fear not, here is one I made earlier.
Ingredients
400g tinned plum tomatoes
300g apples, peeled, cored and chopped (a sour variety, such as Bramley, is best)
100g dried red lentils
800ml vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 ts dried basil
1/2 ts dried thyme
a pinch of ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Put stock, tomatoes, apples and lentils in a pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with lid and let simmer until everything is tender. Add the herbs and the cinnamon and puree with a hand mixer. If the soup is very thick, add more stock. Add salt and pepper to taste, bring to a boil and serve hot with nice fresh bread, such as the rosemary spelt bread below.
Rosemary Spelt Bread
Credit where credit is due: this is an adaptation of the “Roman Style Loaf” recipe on the Doves Farm Stoneground Wholegrain Spelt flour bag.
Ingredients
500g wholegrain spelt flour
1/2-1 tsp salt
3 tsp dried rosemary
2 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp quick yeast
1 tbsp honey
400ml warm water
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the more flavourful and aromatic, the better)
(coarse sea salt)
In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Dissolve the honey in the warm water and roughly mix it to the flour. While the dough is still craggy, add the olive oil and mix well. Knead or work the dough for a few minutes then divide it between two 500g greased or lined bread tins. Cover and leave dough to rise for about half an hour in a warm place. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (180C fan assisted). Drizzle some more olive oil on the breads and sprinkle some coarse sea salt on top, if you like. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 40–45 minutes.
The Original Soupwoman 