LENTIL SOUP

(Sopa de Lentejas)

The beauty of this soup is that you don’t have to soak the lentils beforehand, since they cook up relatively quickly. Although I used chicken broth in mine, you can easily make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth as the base.

MAKES 6 TO 8 APPETIZER SERVINGS

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 cups chicken broth

One 12-ounce can diced tomatoes, including the juice

1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Mexican crema

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic, and sauté until the onion is translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes and their juice, lentils, jalapeño, cumin, and oregano. Cover and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook at a gentle simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and season with salt and black pepper.

Ladle into individual bowls, topped with a spoonful of crema and some chopped cilantro sprinkled on top.