Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper
Pinch of chili powder or ground cayenne
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
2 tbsp Fresh Lemon
Instructions:
Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils (which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Purée half the mixture and return it to the pot for a soup that strikes the balance between chunky and pleasingly smooth. A hit of lemon juice adds an up note that offsets the deep cumin and chile flavors.
Recipe adapted from NYT Cooking