Sunday Soups--Red Lentil, Parsnip, and Meyer Lemon

There are two things I rarely do when it comes to cooking: follow a recipe (especially one of my own) and make the same thing twice. I'm a improvisational cook and generally end up whipping things together with whatever I've got around.

This said, the one recipe I always follow to the letter is my Red Lentil Soup (from a column that I wrote a few years back for the Times). It's a soup that fits my tastes perfectly - full of heady flavor, smooth, velvety, spiced with cumin and lemon. Almost every time I make it, I look up my recipe and then I follow it.

Except, you know, when I don't. As in, last Sunday. I planned to make my red lentil soup, but then, at the last minute, decided to change to accommodate some wilty parsnips that really needed a home. So I added them to the soup in place of the carrot.

Though they lacked the pleasing color that the carrots lent to the soup, the parsnips did contribute a lovely, nutty sweetness. And since Meyer lemon season is in full swing (and when it is, I almost always have some on hand), I stirred in some bright but mellow juice right before serving.

Red lentils cook up so quickly (since they're without a husk), but because of this they also don't tend to hold their shape very well. Which makes them an ideal candidate for pureeing. Parsnips too love a good turn through the blender.



As a final garnish, I often sprinkle my lentil soup with some chili for a prickly heat, but a pinch of good sweet or smoky paprika is delicious too. On this particular night, I floated a big, home-made crouton in everyone's bowl for a crunchy contrast. Humans have been eating lentils for a very, very long time and it's no wonder—they're easy to store, easy to cook, and super satisfying.

Red Lentil, Parsnip, and Meyer Lemon Soup

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

1 yellow onion, diced

2 fat garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

3 small parsnips, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, sliced

1 cup red lentils

1 quart stock - any kind. I used turkey

2 cups water

Juice from 1/2 Meyer lemon, plus more to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish

ground chili, cayenne, or paprika to taste

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent, five minutes. Stir in garlic and continue cooking another two minutes. Stir in tomato paste, ground cumin, and kosher salt and continue cooking until tomato paste begins to brown, another two minutes.

2. Add parsnips, celery, and lentils then stir in stock and water and bring to a simmer. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

3. With an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth (or to desired consistency, chunky is nice too). Alternatively, puree soup in a blender or food processor, working in batches.

4. Stir in juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon, and adjust seasoning to taste, adding more lemon if desired. Stir in cilantro.

5. Ladle soup into individual bowls and finish each with a generous drizzle of olive oil, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a sprinkle of salt and chili or paprika.