Adas bil Hamod

I found a recipe for a version of this Lebanese sour soup "lentils with lemon" by Ottolenghi It sounded so fresh and looked so colourful I just had to give it a try.  It didn't disappoint!

Ingredients
serves 4

200g lentils (brown or green)

5 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1½ tbsp cumin seeds

3 lemons – juiced (about 75ml), also finely shave the peel of one lemon 

2 tsp salt 

pinch of black pepper

650g large waxy potatoes, (e.g. Maris Piper or Desiree), peel and cut into 3cm-4cm pieces

400g Rainbow (or Swiss) chard 

1 litre vegetable stock 

small bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped

Method

Put the lentils in a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of cold, lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are nearly cooked but still retain a bite, then drain.

Thoroughly wash the chard, then separate the leaves from the stalks. Roughly sliced both stalks and leaves but keep separate. 

Put 5 tbsp of olive oil in a large, heavy-based pot with a lid, and put on a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, cumin seeds and the lemon peel. Season well with salt and a good pinch of pepper. 

Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until soft and golden. Stir in the potatoes, lentils and the chard stalks. Stir well to coat everything in the spices. Pour in the stock, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and leave to cook for 20 minutes. Test if the potato is soft with a sharp knife. The potato should still holds its shape but the knife should cut into it without resistance.

You don't want the soup to have reduced too much. The lentils and potatoes should be submerged in plenty of stock.

Turn off the heat, stir in the lemon juice (half at first then adjust to taste), some of the chopped fresh coriander and the chard leaves. It feels like there's too much chard at first but it will reduce. Carefully stir in the leaves without breaking up any of the potatoes. Replace the lid and leave to cook (off the heat) for another five minutes, until the chard has wilted. 

Cooking the chard only until they just wilt keeps their fresh flavours and vibrant green colour. They could go in at an earlier stage with the potatoes and lentils but they do loose their colour quite dramatically.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and garnish with some more chopped coriander.