Lemony Lentil & Crispy Kale Soup by Anna Jones

Anna Jones is a very bright young cook and food writer who has worked with many celebrated chefs, from Antonio Carluccio to Yotam Ottolenghi. She earned her stripes at Le Caprice in London and has cooked in Spain and the Chianti fields of Tuscany. Her new book, a Modern Way to Eat from which this recipe is an excerpt, is full of inspired and delicious vegetarian recipes.

RECIPE - LEMONY LENTIL & CRISPY KALE SOUP

Serves 46

I love this simple soup, which is somewhere between a dhal and a soup it reminds me of the curry that is served in southern India with dosas. This soup is cleansing and clean, thanks to being spiked with turmeric and a lot of lemon. It's what I crave if I've over-indulged or been around food too long (an occupational hazard a very nice one). I serve this with a kitchari.

Turmeric is a favourite spice of mine. If I am feeling off-colour I stir a teaspoon into hot water and sip it as a reviving tonic. I love the vibrant, deep saffron-gold colour, the clean, sharp, savoury acid note and the hard-to-put-your-finger-on flavour. It's a real star on the health front, as it is an anti-inflammatory and has anti-carcinogenic properties. What a spice.

Ingredients

a splash of olive or rapeseed oil

1 leek, washed, trimmed and

f inely sliced

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons black mustard seeds

juice of 23 lemons

250g split red lentils

1 veg stock cube, or 1 tablespoon

veg stock powder

4 handfuls of kale (or other greens),

washed, trimmed and shredded

to serve (optional) yoghurt, stirred with a little sea salt

Get a large pan on the heat. Add a little oil and turn the heat to medium. Add the leek and fry for a few minutes, until it has softened and smells sweet, then add the spices and fry for another couple of minutes. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon and stir around to lift all the spices from the bottom of the pan. Next, add the lentils, 1.5 litres of water and the stock cube or powder and allow to bubble away for 2035 minutes, until the lentils are cooked and the soup has thickened.

Turn off the heat and, if you like, you can blitz the whole lot to a thin dhal consistency, then squeeze in the juice of the remaining 2 lemons, tasting as you go to make sure it doesn't get too lemony. It may seem like a lot, but you really want the lemony tang to come through. Just before you're ready to serve, saut the kale in a little olive oil until it slightly softens but begins to crisp at the edges. Ladle into bowls and top with the salted yoghurt and the crispy kale.

Photography . Brian Ferry

Recipe . Anna Jones

This recipe was taken from Anna Jones' book A Modern Way To Eat - now available to buy onlinehere at TOAST

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