Lebanese Red Lentil Soup

Last week I made a different version of the red lentil soup I posted before and my boyfriend really loved it, for it reminded him of "snert", which is a traditional slit pea soup from the Netherlands. The recipe I am sharing with you today, however, is a Lebanese one from the Taste of Beirut by Joumana Accad. I took the liberty of making a few minor changes in order to adapt the soup to my personal preferences and I was very satisfied with the result. The funny thing is that I've never made a soup without olive oil, because I always start by frying a chopped onion or sautéing vegetables, while in this recipe you just have to put all the ingredients in the pot and cover it with the broth. This easy soup I will definitely be making again! Ingredients, serves 3-4 - 200g red lentils - 1,5L vegetable broth (I made mine with a stalk of celery, a carrot, a dried tomato, bay leaf and onion and I let it simmer for 45 minutes) - a large potato, cut into chunks - 2 onions, chopped - 2 carrots, peeled and sliced - 1 teaspoon allspice - 1 teaspoon cumin - a bunch of flat leaved parsley, finely chopped - salt and black pepper - juice of half a lemon (optional) Put lentils, potato, carrots, onions, allspice and cumin in a pot and cover it with broth. Cover, bring to a boil, lower the heat and let the soup cook for about 30-35 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. In The Taste of Beirut Joumana warns us that the soup might be watery, and suggests to uncover the pot during the cooking if that would be the case. But mine was quite the opposite and I had to add a bit of water or the soup would get too thick. When you have a smooth soup, season it with salt and black pepper and stir in the fresh parsley. Because I find red lentil soup has quite a heavy flavour, I like to add some lemon juice for freshness, but that's up to you. Serve warm with bread and a nice salad. Sahtayn!