Lentil & vegie soup

Equipment

• bowls – 1 small, 1 large
• 1 large saucepan
• 1 medium frypan
• non-slip mats & chopping boards
• knives – 1 small, 1 large
• disposable gloves
• mezzaluna
• peeler
• metric measuring spoons & cups
• wooden spoon
• serving cups or bowls

Ingredients

• 50g butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 sticks celery
• 1 carrot
• 1 leek
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1 red chilli
• 2x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 litres vegetable stock or water
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tablespoons chopped oregano
• 1 cup Puy lentils
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
• sea salt

What to do

• Set out your equipment and ingredients.
• Fill the large saucepan with 2 litres of water (or stock) and bring to the boil.
• Once boiling add the lentils and tomatoes and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes.

Prepare the vegetables and herbs

• Set out the non-slip mats, chopping boards and knives.  Peel the papery skin off the onion and roughly chop, then place in the bowl of the food processor.
• Roughly chop the leek, celery and carrot and place them in the bowl of the food processor. Put all the vegetable scraps in the compost bucket.

• Pulse-chop the vegetables in the food processor until finely chopped, but not turned to mush.
• Heat the butter and olive oil in the medium frypan over medium heat.  Sauté the vegetable mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the skin from the garlic and finely chop.
• Slip on the disposable gloves and cut the chilli in half lengthways.  Scrape the seeds into the rubbish bin and slice finely.  Set aside. Discard the gloves.  Wash the board and knives very well.
• Add the chilli and garlic to the medium frypan and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Use the mezzaluna to chop the oregano and set aside.
• Add the chilli and garlic to the saucepan of lentils and tomatoes, together with the oregano and bay leaves.  Bring back to the boil and simmer until the lentils are cooked.

Prepare to serve the soup

• Use the mezzaluna to chop the parsley and set aside.
• Taste the soup and add salt and pepper and stir through the parsley.
• Ladle the soup into the serving cups and serve.