September's Scrumptious and Souplicious Transition from Summer to Autumn...

Summer is a beautiful season when leafy green salads sell like hot cakes and even the most serious of coffee drinkers find themselves tempted by refreshing iced drinks instead. We enjoy the summer season and then realise the months of June, July and August have passed us by where we have enjoyed so many colourful culinary delights - as well as the occasional ice-cream of course. Then, along comes the month of September. September is a time of seasonal transition - whilst we remain hopeful of warm climates visiting us once more, we also begin yearning for the cosy comforts the autumn and winter seasons bring.

Yesterday was September 13th, almost the middle of the month and noticeably cooler than previous weeks. It was the first day I really felt the need to put an extra warm layer on! I was yearning for a warm and comforting meal in the evening I so decided to attempt to re-create a lovely soup I had ordered at a cafe recently: Red Pepper and Lentil Soup

Here was the delicious result!:

Red Pepper and Lentil Soup 
(Serves 4)

2 Red Onions

450g Carrots

4 Celery Sticks

2 Leek stalks

300g Red Split Lentils

450g Red Bell Peppers 

3 tbsp Olive Oil 

2 tbsps Ground Black Pepper Corns

2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1 tsp Ground Cumin 

750ml Hot Chicken Stock of Vegetable Stock  

Natural Yoghurt or Fresh Coriander to serve 

1. Rinse the red lentils, then leave them to soak in a bowl of cold water whilst preparing the vegetables for the soup. 

2. Chop the red pepper and place in an oven roasting tray. Drizzle with 1-2tbsp olive oil and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius.  

2. In a large pan, gently heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and black pepper to the pot. Simmer for 2minutes before adding the chopped red onion and simmer until tender. 

3. Add the lentils to the chopped onion, with the hot chicken or vegetable stock. Season with ground coriander and ground cumin. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. To the pan, add the chopped carrots, celery, leek. Cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes.  

5. Add the part-roasted red pepper to the pot and simmer until all the vegetables are soft enough to be blended. 

6. Take the soup off the heat and puree the soup in a blender, or use a hand-held blender and puree the soup in the pot. 

7. Serve in soup bowls as it is, or with a garnish of fresh coriander, or a swirl of natural yoghurt. 

Tip: This soup is delicious served with buttered warm mediterranean bread, or with buttered warm Irish brown wheaten bread. 

Nutritional Information: 265calories per serving. 0.7g fat, 43.2g carbohydrates, 7.4g fibre, 13.8g protein.