Adumbration

While I consider necessary expansion and clarifications on other matters, I recount below the complementary factors of production that contribute to making a lentil soup of certain note...

Interestingly, I recently learned that neither copyright nor patent protect recipes, and yet cookbooks continue to occupy large shelves at bookstores.  I created this recipe mostly based on an entry from "365 Ways to Cook Vegetarian", published in 1994, compiled by Kitty Morse, who credits all the friends who made contributions to the collection.  I prepared it with no prior experimentation (for the record, I did not observe any "sidelong glances" from my guests that day).

The source cookbook keeps very close track of the time required for each recipe.  For this one it says prep time of 30 minutes, cook time from 1 hour 39 minutes up to 2 hours 10 minutes.  Such precision struck me as amusing.

Ingredients:

• 2 T olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 small cans (~28 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1/4 t ground ginger (I used a grater and dried ginger root, and probably put 2 or three times that much in the mix)
• 1/4 t turmeric (it was a rounded teaspoon)
• 1/8 t saffron threads, crushed (it's hard to measured "threads";  I plucked a small portion from the little jar and crushed them with the mortar and pestle)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (I used a full one of those little flat box containers of fresh seasonings that you can find in grocery stores these days)
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1/2 cup wheat berries
• 6 cups vegetable broth (I made it with a mixture of chicken, tomato, and vegetable bullion/consomme, heated up separately on the stove to dissolve)
• 1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 lemons
• salt
• pepper

Preparation:

Combine tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, saffron, and cilantro, and puree until "fairly smooth".  I used a bowl and immersion hand blender;  counter top blender might have been less messy;  food processor was recommended.

In large non-reactive soup pot, heat olive oil, then add the onions and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until golden.  Add the tomato mixture, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 5 minutes

Add lentils, wheat berries, and broth.  Cover tightly and simmer about 2 hours

About 15 minutes before serving, add the garbanzo beans with their liquid

About 10 minutes before serving, in a separate bowl beat the egg with juice from one lemon.  Lightly stir into the soup (the books says that strands are to form, but I never noticed)

Season with salt and pepper

To serve, squeeze juice from remaining lemon into bottom of bowls, and ladle the soup on top.

Enjoy