Mexican Lentil Soup With Roasted Garlic And Chilies Recipes

MEXICAN LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add in onion, bell pepper, carrots and jalapeno and saute 2 minutes.
• Add garlic and saute 2 minutes longer. Stir in broth, tomatoes, lentils, chili powder, cumin, and coriander and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring just a few times throughout cooking, until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Serve warm topping each serving with tortilla strips, avocados and cotija cheese.
• Recipe source: Cooking Classy

MEXICAN LENTIL SOUP WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND CHILIES

Steps:

• To toast cumin (or coriander) seeds, place the whole seeds in a dry small skillet over low heat. Stir and shake until the seeds release their aroma and darken slightly, just a minute or two. Transfer to a bowl if you won't be grinding them right away, they will continue to cook if left in pan. Grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
• Sort and rinse the lentils and put them in a soup pot with the water, bay leaf, sage, and oregano. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook, uncovered, at a gentle boil for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Remove the herbs.
• While the lentils are cooking, preheat the oven to 350*F. Rub the head of garlic with a little oil, place on a baking sheet, and roast for about 30 minutes, until soft. When the garlic has cooled, slice off the top of the head and squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Puree with the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, 1/2 teaspoons salt, cumin, and dried oregano; saute over medium heat until the onion is soft, about 7-8 minutes. Add the carrot and peppers and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ancho chili powder and the chipotle puree, the pureed tomatoes, and 1 teaspoons salt; simmer for 10 minutes.
• Combine the lentils and their broth with the vegetables, cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Add salt to taste. For more spice, add more ancho chili powder or chipotle puree to taste. Sprinkle in the fresh cilantro and oregano just before serving.
• Enjoy!

MEXICAN ROASTED GARLIC SOUP

Steps:

• In a small pot, heat olive oil over medium-low and add garlic. When the oil begins lightly simmering (like champagne), lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Do not fry the garlic. By the end of cooking it should be soft and still white, not browned and crispy.
• Pour the oil and garlic through a mesh strainer, over a bowl. Lightly press the garlic with the back of a spoon to remove some of the excess oil.
• Transfer the garlic into a large saucepan and add the chicken broth. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
• Set the garlic oil aside - this is good stuff! 3 tbsp of it will be used for the croutons, the rest can be refrigerated and used for dipping french bread, salad dressings, pasta sauces, etc.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the bread into 1/4 to 1/2 inch dices. Lay the diced bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle 3 tbsp of the garlic olive oil over the croutons, toss them to spread the oil evenly, and toast for 5 minutes more, until golden brown.
• When the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, turn the heat to low, and slowly pour in the beaten eggs, while stirring the soup.
• Divide the queso fresco, avocado, and tomato between 4 bowls. Ladle the soup on top.
• Let your guests add chipotle strips and croutons to taste.

ROASTED PEPPER AND LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element in your oven and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Arrange red bell pepper halves, yellow bell pepper halves, and orange bell pepper halves onto prepared baking sheet with cut sides down.
• Roast peppers under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, 5 to 8 minutes. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Steam as they cool until the skin has loosened completely, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard skins. Cut peppers into small dice.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and carrot in hot oil until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, tarragon, thyme, and paprika; continue to cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Stir roasted peppers, tomatoes, water, and hot sauce into the peppers mixture, place a cover on the pot, and cook until the tomatoes soften, about 5 minutes.
• Pour vegetable broth into the pot; add lentils, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until lentils are tender, about 45 minutes.
• Pour soup into a blender or food processor no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse several time to get the soup to be only slightly chunky. Repeat processing until all soup has been blended.