Curried Lentil Soup | stairway to vegan

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

What a crazy week, there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day. Is it just me, or are the days actually shorter. I don’t mean the amount of sunlight, but actual time. I swear I used to have more time to get things done…..

One great thing about posting all these soups and breads, is that I have lots of yummy meals always ready. Today’s post is a Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread. I am really loving making all these flat breads. They are quite simple and very tasty.

This weekend I will be cooking up a storm with the last of the recipes. including Gnocchi, Pretzels and Sourdough.

Enjoy,

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Lentil Curry Soup

Serves 6

3 Tblspn Olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste
2 large garlic cloves, chopped, divided
2 Tblspn (or more) curry powder
1 cup French green lentils
4 1/4 cups(or more) water, divided
1 16-ounce can chickpeas drained, rinsed
1 Tblspn fresh lemon juice
2 Tblspns vegan butter
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, salt and pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add half of chopped garlic; stir until vegetables are soft but not brown. Add curry powder and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lentils and 4 cups water. Add extra salt and pepper if required. Increase heat and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining garlic in processor.

Add chickpea puree and butter to lentil soup. Add additional curry powder, if desired. Add water by 1/4 cupfuls to thin to desired consistency.
Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle with thinly sliced green onions and serve with lemon wedges.

Lentil Curry Soup with Pita Bread

Pita Bread

Makes 8 Pita’s

1/2 tspn dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (approximately 105 degrees F)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose or bread flour
1/2 Tblspn salt
1 Tblspn olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bread bowl. Stir to dissolve. Add whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, then 1 cup white flour. Stir 100 times (one minute) in the same direction to activate the gluten in the flour. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes or as long as 2 hours.

Sprinkle salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add white flour, one cup at a time. When the dough is too stiff to stir, turn it out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Return the dough to a lightly oiled bread bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least double in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Gently punch down.

This amount of dough will make approximately 8 pita’s if rolled out into circles approximately 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4-inch thick. :

Place baking sheets, on a rack in the bottom third of your oven, leaving a one inch gap all around to allow air to circulate. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Divide dough into eight equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter. You may wish to roll out all eight before starting to bake. Cover rolled out breads, but do not stack.

Bake 2 at a time (or more if your oven is larger) directly on baking sheets. Bake each bread for 3 or 4 minutes, until the bread has gone into a full “balloon” or until it is starting to turn lightly golden, whichever happens first. When baked, remove, place on a rack for about five minutes to let cool slightly, then wrap breads in a large kitchen towel (this will keep the breads soft).