Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup

I love a hearty soup and am a huge fan of lentil soups as they are super filling and nutritious too - my Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup is one of our family favourites and especially with thick, crusty bread. 

This soup is an ideal January recipe - it's cheap to make using mostly store cupboard items that are undoubtedly already sitting in your cupboards; plus if you're on any kind of new year diet or detox, soups are always on side and this one is around 300 calories, even with tasty fried chorizo in tow. 

Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup

The below serves a family of four as a main course.

Here's how:

• 140g cooking chorizo
• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 carrot
• 320g red split lentils
• 2 roasted red peppers (I use the jarred variety from Lidl)
• 1x tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1.5 pints chicken stock (I used homemade but Knorr Chicken Stock Pots are great)
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp white pepper

Firstly place a heavy bottomed pan  on a low heat on the hob.

Chop the cooking chorizo into small pieces and add to the pan. Gently toss every minute or so until some become nicely charred and use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chorizo and set aside for now.

Now peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic and add to the pan in the chorizo juices.

Peel and dice the carrot and add to the pan.  Allow to gently saute and add the cayenne pepper at this point. 

Now place the red split lentils (I usually give a very quick rinse first) into the pan and allow to be coated in the oils. Add the chopped tomatoes and season with a pinch of salt and the white pepper.

Roughly chop the roasted red pepper and add to the pan and finally cover with the chicken stock.

Allow to cook through for 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through, then remove from the heat and allow to cool a little. 

Blitz in a blender, Nutribullet or use a hand blender and return to the heat to warm through. 

When hot enough dish up and divide the cooked chorizo between portions and scatter on top as a delicious, meaty garnish. 

If you're looking for more soup inspiration this month here are a few of our other favourite family soups,

Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon
Restorative Green Soup
Mexican Mushroom Soup
Alphabet and Hidden Vegetable Soup
Mediterranean Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Thai Sweet Potato Soup
Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Curried Lentil Soup

This warming, comforting soup is the perfect pick-me-up when returning from work on a cold day.

It’s vegetarian and vegan friendly too so good if you are practising Meat Free Monday.

It relies on things you would mostly find in the stock cupboard too - so can be made at the last minute at very little cost, win, win.

The gentle spicing makes this almost a liquid curry soup and it’s great for warming you right through.

Curried Lentil Soup

The below serves four.

Here's how:
200g red split lentils
1 onion
2cm piece of ginger, peeled
1 large garlic clove
2 carrots
1.5 pints vegetable stock
1 drizzle olive oil or a Fry Light Spray
1 tsp medium curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala

Firstly drizzle the oil into a saucepan and place on a low heat.

Peel and roughly chop the onion and place in the pan.

Peel and mince or roughly chop the garlic and do the same with the ginger add to the pan.

Now allow these to soften a little before going in with the curry powder, cinnamon, turmeric and garam masala.

While these soften a little, rinse the lentils through with a sieve until the waters run clear.

Now place these into the pan and use a wooden spoon or spatula to move around a little and get a good coating of the spiced garlic, onion and ginger base.

Now pour over the soup and allow to slowly simmer for around 25 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through.

Remove from the heat and once cooled a little, blitz. I use a Nutribullet so I allow the soup to cool right down.

Once blended return to the pan and bring back to the heat and once warmed through dish up. Enjoy with crusty bread or naan.

Here are a few other vegetarian friendly soup recipes you might like:

Restorative Green Soup

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup

Red Pepper Soup

Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup

Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Slow Cooked Beef and Lentil Curry

This curry is a slow cooked sensation; warming, hearty and filling with plenty of goodness.

This dish is filling on it's own but can also be served with some rice or breads.

Using braising steak, makes it an economical family meal, but it does take a few hours to cook. It takes very little preparation though, I like to cook it on a Sunday, for dinner on Monday or Tuesday. There’s nothing better than returning from work to such a delicious, already-prepared meal.

The below serves 3-4

Slow Cooked Beef and Lentil Curry

Here’s how:

• 400g braising steak
• 6 sping onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 chillies
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 400g passata
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala 
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 150g red split lentils
• Rapeseed or groundnut oil
• Water
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful fresh coriander leaves
• 1-2 tbsp natural yoghurt (optional)

Firstly drizzle about a tablespoon of the oil you’re using into a heavy bottomed pan and place on a low heat.

In the meantime, finely slice the spring onions, garlic, chillies and ginger and add to the pan to offer some great base flavours.

Whilst these are sauteeing in the pan, take the braising steak and cut into large chunks. Take the salt and pepper (I use white) and season generously. You can omit the salt if preparing for small children.

Add to the pan to sear, turning to ensure every side of the meat pieces are browned.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and passata, stir well and continue to cook on a low heat for an hour. Ensure to stir every so often, to make sure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Rinse and drain the lentils and add these to the pan now, cook for a further 1.5 hours, continuing to stir every so often. If the liquid of the dish reduces significantly and you're worried about it being too thick, add a little water.

Before seving with your choice of accompaniments, roughly chop the coriander, retaining a few leaves for garnish, and stir through the chunky curry.

Once dished up, add the yoghurt on top and scatter over the remaining coriander leaves. Enjoy!

Quick and Chunky Cod Tagine

Here is a lovely fish tagine recipe that uses aromatic spices and cod for a robust, delicious and delicately spiced stew perfect for cold winter nights. Serve with mixed lentils as I have here, or if unlike myself, you’re not avoiding complex carbohydrates, then serve with some rice or couscous as you might expect it to be served in North Africa where this dish originates.

Using a combination of both smoked and unsmoked cod, adds a delicious flavour layer here and you could of course use another white fish, such as coley, hake, monkfish or river cobbler if you prefer – I just prefer the way cod keeps its’ shape in the tagine.

This makes enough for two adults and one child’s portion.

Chunky Cod Tagine

Here's how:

• 100g unsmoked cod
• 100g smoked cod
• 100g black olives (preferably not pitted)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 courgette
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 thumbnail piece of fresh ginger
• Pinch saffron
• 1 red chilli
• 1 white onion
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 preserved lemons
• Splash white wine (sherry or brandy will suffice is no wine is open as you literally need a spoonful)
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp cloves
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 200ml fish stock
• Handful coriander
• Handful parsley

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and arrange the shelves so your tagine dish will easily fit in.

First things first in the tagine (or casserole dish) add the olive oil and all of the spices, cloves etc. and mix to a paste with a wooden spoon.

Peel the ginger and garlic and finely slice and add to the tagine. Dice the courgette and tomatoes and halve the preserved lemons and add to the dish. Pour over the wine (or sherry or brandy) and add the olives and cinnamon stick.Finely slice the chilli and add to the dish.

Now roughly chop the fish into about six pieces per fillet or bite-sized and add to the tagine then pour over the fish stock. Give a stir, place the lid on top and place into the oven.

Cook for 35 minutes, then remove from the oven and add the parsley and coriander just broken up with your hands and stir.

Serve with your choice of lentils, chickpeas, rice or couscous. Enjoy!

Chunky Cod Tagine

Chicken Tikka with Lentil Dal

Indian food is one of the most popular in our household, and when trying to abstain from naughty foods it's probably one of the things we miss the most (washed down with a Kingfisher or two).

This chicken tikka dish is an incredibly satisfying one accompanied by the lentil dal (curried lentils), and when I had the craving for this I only had red split lentils and these worked just fine although are a slight departure from the traditional recipes.

If possible marinate the chicken overnight as you will get the best flavour this way - but if you haven't the time, then a couple of hours in the marinade should do.

Chicken Tikka with Lentil Dal

The below serves 2.

Here's how:
For the chicken tikka:

• 2 large chicken legs, skin on 
• 100g 0% Fat natural yoghurt (I use Yeo Valley) 
• 100g fresh ginger 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1 tsp turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp white pepper 
• 1 tsp garam masala 
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli powder 
• 1 large lime 
• 1 tbsp rapeseed or vegetable oil 

For the lentil dal:

• 150g lentils 
• 1 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil 
• tbsp cumin seeds 
• 1 onion 
• 60g fresh ginger 
• 2 garlic cloves 
• 1 tbsp tinned chopped tomatoes or 3 cherry tomatoes 
• 2-3 green chillies 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric 
• 1/2 tsp garam masala 
• 1 tsp ground coriander 
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon 
• Pinch of salt 
• Pinch of black pepper 
• Handful of fresh coriander leaves and an additional green chilli for garnish 

Firstly create the marinade for the chicken by combining all of the other ingredients in a blender or a bowl with a whisk. Grate in the ginger and blitz or whisk till combined. Place the chicken into the bowl and completely cover with the yoghurt marinade which will flavour and tenderise the meat overnight. Cover well and place into the fridge for 24 hours, or however long you have.

The following day, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C, and remove the chicken from the fridge to come down to room temperature. Once the oven is ready, place the chicken onto a tray and into the oven to cook for 30-35 minutes until cooked through, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

In the meantime you can make the dal by firstly rinsing the lentils, then covering with lightly salted water and bringing to the boil. Now skim off any frothy water that might form on top of the water and get rid and then reduce the heat and cook gently for 30 minutes with a lid on.

Now heat the oil gently in a pan and in the meantime finely dice the onion, green chillis, garlic and ginger and add to the pan with the oil to gently cook down. Add the tomatoes and the ground spices and the room will soon take on a deliciously aromatic aroma. Pour over 100ml of water now and this will form the basis of your sauce or coating for the dal.

By now the lentils should be cooked through and will have absorbed most of the water - if not drain off any excess. The lentils should be soft and tender by now. Use a wooden spoon to stir well and slightly smoosh down as you want a combination of smooth textures to your dal.

Now add the lentils to the sauce pot and allow to cook for ten minutes. Before serving stir through half of the coriander and use the remaining half as a garnish with some fresh green chilli.

Portion up onto a bowl or plate and place the chicken tikka on top. Enjoy!