Pacific Rim Red Lentil Soup Recipes

Steps:

• In a soup pot heat olive oil, add Portuguese sausage, pancetta and cook until sausages are brown.
• Add leeks, carrots, celery root, bay leaves, salt, ground black pepper and saute 4-5 minutes. Add garlic saute 1-2 minutes.
• Add wine and reduce by one-half.
• Add ham stock, potatoes and red lentils. Bring to a full boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 30-minutes or until lentils are cooked.
• Add cumin, fresh lemon thyme, lemon zest, lemon juice and simmer for 5- minutes.
• Remove soup from heat and discard bay leaves. Stir in spinach. Season with fine sea salt and fresh ground blackpepper to taste.
• Serve soup in warm bowls.
• Garnish soup with Creme Fraiche and chopped chives.

Steps:

• Whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, rice wine, five-spice powder, and sesame oil in a large glass bowl.
• Add the pork, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat.
• Remove pork from marinade and add to the skillet.
• Stir-fry, a few pieces at a time, until the pork begins to color, 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer the pork to the insert of a 5-7 quart slow cooker.
• Add the ginger and garlic to the same skillet and stir-fry 1 minute, until fragrant.
• Add the onion, bok choy, and carrots; stir-fry until vegetables are softened, 3-4 minutes.
• Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker insert.
• Add the remaining 7 cups broth to the slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours, until the pork and vegetables are tender.
• Add the noodles and green onions; cover and cook an additional 45 minutes.
• Serve the soup garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the ginger and heat, stirring, for about a minute. Add the ground cumin and stir another 30 seconds.
• Add the onion and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently.
• Add the lentils and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft.
• Remove from heat and puree with an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor). Add salt and pepper to taste, although I usually do not add any.
• Add a squeeze of lemon in each serving, if you wish - I find that it adds a bright note.
• Note: A spoonful of plain yogurt is a nice addition.