My husband is a life-long New York football Giants super fan. Nearly to the point of obsession. When the Giants won the Superbowl in 2012, he raised up our 2-week-old first born baby like Simba, his Sunday offering to Eli Manning.
That said, he absolutely positively loathes Tom Brady. So you can imagine my shock when he suggested on a recent car trip that we listen to Dax Shephard’s interview with the football superstar on Armchair Expert. [In his defense, he says it was a mistake, misled by the title of the episode into thinking it was a different topic entirely. He honestly thought we were about to listen to an interview with Zeus.]
Yet, we couldn’t turn it off. In fact, we found ourselves unwillingly admiring this embodiment of tactical hard work overcoming and outlasting “natural born” physical talent. And my ears perked up when Brady talked about his diet. One comment in particular truly resonated. For Brady, gone are the days of gobbling steak and potatoes or Subway sandwiches after an intense practice. He claims to feel much more satisfied with a bowl of lentil soup when his temple of a body needs repair and fuel.
It’s possible this was on my mind later in the week when, in a pinch, I quickly assembled a pot of lentil soup with a handful of pantry and freezer ingredients. The soup was a hit with my vegetarian son. His grandmother, the biggest Brady fan I know, can rest easy now knowing that he is getting plenty of nutrition despite his vegetarian diet. The G.O.A.T. says so.
Greatest of All Time Lentil Soup
A smoky and subtly spicy take on a classic, you start this soup by gently sautéing a flavor bomb of onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, ground cumin and smoked paprika. Instead of dirtying a cutting board to mince anything, I use my already prepared Triple Aromatic Purée, a blend of onion, garlic and ginger that I make in large batches and store in my freezer. And I don’t always defrost it before popping it into the pot to start a soup. I also recommend a combination of both green (or french) lentils and yellow lentils or moong dal. You’ll enjoy the contrast in colors, flavors and textures.
Yield: 8 servings
What You Need:
1 heaping cup green or french lentils
1 heaping cup yellow lentils or moong dal
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup triple aromatic purée [or finely minced mixture of 1 small onion, 6 cloves garlic, and 1 ounce ginger root]
kosher salt
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1-2 teaspoons smoked paprika
6 cups vegetable broth
1-2 cups water as needed
2-3 medium carrots, peeled and diced, optional
black pepper to taste
croutons, optional, for serving
What You Do:
Fill a large bowl with cool water. Add the lentils and swirl to wash, draining and replacing with new water several times until the water is no longer cloudy. Soak for 20 minutes or until you are ready to add them to the soup.
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat gently. Then add the onion, garlic and ginger mixture with a few pinches of salt. Sauté on medium heat until softened, about 2-3 minutes..
Add the tomato paste, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and a few more pinches of salt. Sauté until thick and darkened in color, about 3 minutes. [see photo, bottom right]
Drain and rinse the lentils. Add to the pot with 6 cups of vegetable broth and another ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and continue to cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Add more broth or water as needed for soup consistency.
Add the carrots with a few pinches of salt and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Season with additional salt, if needed, and black pepper.
Serve with garlicky croutons.