Red Lentil Soup
with Turnip and Parsley

WHEN THAT FIRST COLD RAINY FALL DAY ROLLS AROUND and you find yourself yearning to put a pot of soup on the stove, this soup is the answer. It’s the perfect use for the final baskets of tomatoes from your garden or the farmers market, and a great way to feature fall’s bounty of sweet turnips.

1½ cups dried red lentils

3 cups water

Thumb-size piece kombu

1 medium yellow onion,
diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 celery stalks, diced

2 tablespoons
extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons mirin

1½ cups chopped tomatoes

1 turnip, peeled and diced

1½ cups cooked
great northern beans

4 cups vegetable stock

Sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper

½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse and drain lentils. Place in pot with water and kombu and bring to boil. Skim and discard foam. Reduce heat to simmer, partially cover and cook until lentils are soft (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.

In soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté onion, garlic and celery in oil until soft (4–6 minutes). Add mirin, tomatoes, turnip and beans. Stir to combine ingredients. Remove and discard kombu from lentils and add lentils to soup pot. Add stock, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat. Stir in cup chopped parsley and serve topped with remaining parsley as garnish.

SERVES 8

VARIATIONS
Hakurei turnips, the size of a dime, are super-sweet and a great variety for this soup. They often are sold with their greens on. If so, simply cut off the greens, halve the turnips, add as directed and then stir in the greens just before serving. Alternatively, you can substitute yellow split peas for the lentils.