Cauliflower and Sprouted Lentil Curried Soup

I invented this recipe for my friend Susan, who wondered what to do with sprouted lentils.  This soup is hearty and richly spiced.  It pairs well with red meat.  My soup-disliking husband even enjoyed it.

Cauliflower and Sprouted Lentil Curried Soup

Unassuming, but delicious

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3-4 tbsp of butter or lard (if dairy-free)
1 large onion, chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small head of cauliflower chopped
4-6 loose cups of sprouted lentils (you can follow the first 4 steps of my "How To Sprout Your Own Grains")
Curry spice blend (I use cloves, white peppercorns, green peppercorns, black peppercorns, fenugreek, fennel, ground turmeric, coriander, cumin seeds, ground ginger and a dash of ground cinnamon - see photo of whole spices)
4-6 cups homemade chicken broth
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

The whole spices I use for my curry blend

Directions:
Melt butter or lard in a heavy bottomed soup pot on medium.
Add onions, carrots, celery and cauliflower and cook slowly until softened, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the vegetables soften, combine your spices with mortar and pestle, unless you already have curry blend prepared.  [Do not worry if they are not completely pulverized.  You will blend the soup in the final step, and you will also enjoy the little bits of extra spice.]
Add lentils, curry spices, salt and pepper and stir until well-mixed with vegetables.
Add broth until it covers ingredients by an inch, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour
Puree with immersion blender and serve with creme fraiche.

Enjoy!


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This post is a part of Fight Back Fridays
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