Pasta and Summer Squash with Tomatoes, Basil, and Pine Nuts
I made this recipe tonight and liked it so much I decided to repost it. It was originally posted on August 17, 2006.
I’ve often tried to make this sort of light/summery pasta dish without a lot of success. Unless I use a large amount of olive oil or parmesan in the past the dish has always seemed rather bland. But this recipe is light and delicious! This is based on a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated, but I cut down on oil and pasta, and increased the amounts of squash and seasonings. I give options for a number of ingredients depending on how rich, spicy, starchy etc. you want your dinner to be. Read the rest of this entry »
Turkish Red Lentil Soup
An old recipe that was originally posted on Oct 3, 2006.
Based on a recipe from the AMA cookbook. I’ve made this soup many times. I particularly like it for breakfast. It’s pretty authentic I think, since a Turkish friend makes a very similar soup, except he fries dried mint in oil before adding it to the soup, and adds some white rice with the lentils.
Heat in a large (3-5 qt?) saucepan or Dutch oven:
- 2 Tbs. olive oil (you can probably reduce this to 1 Tbs. if you want)
Add:
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1 celery rib, sliced
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 6 minutes. Add:
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1.5 Tbs sweet paprika
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Then stir in:
- 5.5 cups vegetable broth (unsalted) or water and bouillon
- 1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup chopped, seeded tomatoes (I used canned diced tomatoes)
- 1.5 Tbs tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp salt
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until the lentils are very tender and almost completely dissolved, about 30 minutes. After the lentils are cooked you’ll need to add more water (about 2 cups) to achieve the consistency of a very thick soup.
Garnish with fresh minced mint, plain yogurt, and lemon juice.
Yields about 7.5 cups?
My Notes:
I made this today but I ran out of paprika so only had about half the amount. Thes soup turned out less vibrantly red and more brownish, and was somewhat bland. I really like the yogurt in it though. Something about the combination makes even nonfat plain yogurt taste incredibly rich and sweet.
Rating: B (This is a solid recipe that I enjoy. It’s also healthy and filling and easy to make. However, I wouldn’t fight for the leftovers.)
Derek: B (He enjoys it with the mint and yogurt but says it’s not terribly exciting.)
