Red Lentil Soup

adapted from 101 Cookbooks

I didn't end up making this exactly the same way, I had to make some substitutions and still it turned out pretty well. Ben ate the entire pot. That is 7 servings. Yikes.

2 cups lentils (black beluga or green french recommended)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion

1 can of crushed tomatoes

2 cups vegetable stock

3 cups of a leafy green (chard, kale, spinach) rinsed and chopped

salt, to taste

Yogurt:

a pinch of saffron

1 Tbsp boiling water

two pinches of salt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

Bring 6 cups of water to boil, add lentils and cook for about 20 minutes (until tender). Drain and set aside so they don't get mushy.

To make the saffron yogurt, combine the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes and stir it in with the yogurt. Mix in salt and set aside.

Then, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot and saute the onion in slat until tender. Then stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and stock until the soup comes to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens and wait another minute until just wilted. Ladle into bowls and served with a dollop of yogurt.

Serves 6-8