I love the look of lentils, especially a mix of red (coral), yellow and brown lentils with beautiful green split peas.  The mixture reminds me of confetti.

See. I think you can even throw it at people like confetti without it hurting too much. Of course, then you can’t eat those lentils which is a definite drawback.

It’s cold again here in Houston; they’re forecasting another freeze with an outside possibility of sleet or snow.  What a long, cold winter.  In these days I can’t seem to get warm no matter what, I’ve taken to using warm beverages and soups to heat myself up from the inside.  Soup, in particular, is a great choice because it’s often nutritious, filling, and relatively low in calories. I can’t say enough good things about soup.

I also love lentils – they’re nutritional power houses with more protein than fish (26 g vs. fish’s 18-21g), a day’s worth of fiber (31g), and 60% of my daily iron.  I find that when I eat lentils for lunch, I’m not really hungry the rest of the day.  I’ve been nourished.

And the split peas give the soup that extra texture and that je ne sais quoi that transforms an okay dish to something with a little more zing.

The base for lentil & split pea is similar to a lot of soups – onions sauteed in olive oil. You can use celery too if you want.  These onions are finely chopped so they’re not bigger than our lentils. I’m also using sliced up baby carrots, but you can use finely diced regular carrots if that works better for you.

While that’s cooking, I get to play with my lentils a bit more.  Behold, lentil & split green pea porn:

(That’ll drive some site traffic!)

What’s different about this recipe than many others is the paprika and saffron, which gives the soup a nice Spanish flavor.  Having company? This is a great dish to make before your guests arrive. Your house will smell warm, inviting, and serene.

The world’s most expensive spice is saffron.  This is Kashmir Mogra saffron from Penzey’s Spices - the finest of the finest. (Everyone else must’ve heard about how awesome it is because it’s not available right now. I’m sure that their regular Spanish Superior saffron is very good.  Penzey’s is the best source for excellent quality spices.)

Wha? You think saffron’s too much of a splurge?  We’re having BEANS for dinner; the least we can do is punch them up with a little fine saffron. The whole meal’s still less than $4, and half of that is the vegetable broth that makes this really a soup.

Speaking of vegetable broth, even though my preferred broth (Central Market Vegetarian Vegetable Broth) uses 50% less sodium than other comparable vegetable broths, I find that my foods can still easily end up with too much sodium.  And we know what happens then: BLOATING like a camel the next day.  No thanks.  So, I work with the sodium inside the broth and don’t add additional salt. And it all turns out fine.

The only drawback to cooking with lentils is they aren’t as colorful and vibrant cooked as they are uncooked.  C’est la vie. Certainly they make up in taste for what they lose in beauty.

The whole meal is ready in under an hour.  Lentils are done in 20 minutes, but the split peas take a bit longer to cook.

The house smells heavenly.

Lentil & Split Pea Soup with Paprika & Saffron

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
10 baby carrots, sliced into discs
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 pinch saffron
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup equal parts dried red, yellow, and brown lentils plus green split peas (~1/4 cup each)
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf

Method

1. On medium heat, saute onion and carrot for approximately 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
2. Add garlic, paprika, and saffron, carefully mixing with the onion/carrot mixture.  Cook ~1 minute or until aroma begins to release.
3. Stir in vegetable broth, then add lentils & split peas and bay leaf to the mixture.  Mix well.
4. Bring ingredients to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover pot and simmer for ~40 minutes, checking periodically.  If needed, add additional vegetable broth. Cooked lentils are fragile so be careful not to over stir.

The dish is ready when the split green peas are soft.  A little soup goes a long way, so serve in small bowls.

Enjoy!