1 bag 12-16 ounces dried red or orange lentils rinsed
1 T olive oil
2 leeks white part only chopped
2 carrots chopped if you wish
regular onion chopped if you wish
1 large can of canned stewed tomatoes
4-6 cloves of garlic
a handful or two of barley
1/2-1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2-1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry
pepper and/or red pepper flakes if you want it spicy
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
Saute the leeks, carrots and onion in olive oil till wilted then add garlic and saute a few more minutes. Add the lentils and seasonings to taste maybe a tsp of each?? Add the chicken stock and stewed tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the barley and let cook until lentils and barley are tender probably 40+ minutes or so. Serve with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
I made this soup the other day because I wanted a lentil barley soup with an India taste. I did not have a recipe but Mara and Bill really liked it. I waited too long to write down the ingredients so I forgot how much spice I added so use caution!