Ingredients
| 2 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 1 onion, chopped | |
| 1 stick celery, chopped | |
| 1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped | |
| ½ teaspoon salt | |
| 100g (approx ½ cup) risotto rice | |
| 2 cloves garlic, minced | |
| 1 small sprig of rosemary leaves, finely chopped | |
| 2 tablespoons tomato paste | |
| 100g (approx ½ cup) green lentils | |
| 2 litres vegetable or chicken stock | |
| 50g rocket leaves, roughly chopped | |
| a good handful of parsley leaves, chopped | |
| zest and juice of 1 lemon | |
| extra virgin olive oil, to serve | |
| freshly grated parmesan, to serve (optional) |
I think of this as a bowlful of pure comfort; it’s the kind of soup that I could live off in winter. Rice and lentils are cooked in a flavourful broth and it is simplicity itself yet also adaptable to your needs and what you have in the fridge. Chopped pancetta, bacon or chorizo-style sausage can be fried with the vegetables at the beginning, or you could make tiny meatballs to poach in the liquid near the end.
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | Heat a large saucepan and add the oil. |
| 2. | Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for 10 minutes with the salt until very soft. |
| 3. | Add the rice and toast for a few minutes, then add the garlic, rosemary and tomato paste and cook for a minute or two. |
| 4. | Add the lentils and stock and bring up to a simmer. |
| 5. | Cook gently for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils and rice are tender. |
| 6. | Add the rocket, parsley, lemon zest and juice then adjust the seasonings to taste. |
| 7. | As the soup sits it will thicken up so you may need to add a little more stock or water to get it to the consistency you like. |
| 8. | Serve with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and freshly grated parmesan or pecorino. |
| 9. | A slice of sourdough is always welcome. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe