Lentil-Pasilla Chile Soup

From Jill Barron

Serves ?

[Ed: Jill served this not with green onions, but some potent red onions quick-pickled with peppers, salt, sugar, and white balsamic vinegar. Their tart sweetness made a great counterpoint to the smoky lentils. And, bonus, the entire bowl is vegan and gluten-free.]

Ingredients

Soup:

2 quarts lentils

2 onions, peeled and diced

3 bay leaves

3 quarts vegetable stock

2 tablespoons black pepper

Wash lentils, place in stock pot, add onion, pepper, and bay leaves. Add veg stock and bring to a boil. Simmer till lentils are soft. While the lentils are cooking, make the pasilla chile sauce to finish the soup with.

Pasilla Sauce:

7 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded

½ cup olive oil

2 ½ pounds tomatillos, paper covers removed, washed well and quartered

1 onion, peeled and sliced

½ cup garlic cloves

2 quarts vegetable stock

2 tablespoons salt

Heat half the olive oil in a cast iron pan and toast chiles, a few at a time, until puffed. Discard chile oil. In a sauce pot, add the rest of the olive oil and saute onions and garlic till soft. Add tomatillos, sweat, then add stock. Cook till soft, then cool and puree smooth. Add to soup and season with salt.

Garnish with sliced green onion.

Posted: Sunday Jan 31,2010 04:28 PM In Soup Recipes