This was incredibly hot, spicy soup. I used less lentils than I normally do in other soups so this one was more brothy.
I started by chopping up the jalapeno, poblano, cubanelle, sweet bell pepper and onion with no oil in the pot. Very soon, I found myself coughing. The dry peppers were roasting and causing an allergic reaction. At one point I thought I might have to stop chopping and walk away, but finally made it through. I then added Grapeseed Oil to the pot.
Why add basil? Hey, I currently have a bunch of basil growing on my small patio. *I think you could add cilantro instead of the basil and it would “work”. I don’t think Flat Leaf Parsley would add anything, but color.
I’ve found that adding just a few tomatoes enhances the flavor. You don’t want to overpower the soup with tomato flavor.
The carrot added a cooling influence.
- Red Lentils
- Red, Orange & Yellow Sweet Bell Pepper
- Red Jalapeno
- Poblano Pepper
- Cubanelle Pepper
- Carrot
- Onion
- Small Tomatoes 3 – Quartered
- Fresh Basil
- Grapeseed Oil
- Margarine
- Bacon Grease
- Celery Seed
- Garlic Powder
- Ground Pepper & Salt
- Chicken Broth & Water
I had stopped coughing from cooking the peppers and now a little over an hour later (I think.) the soup was ready. As I start to eat the first bowl, I start to cough again, and one thought is that I may be having an allergic reaction. I stop eating, and then manage to drink some juice. The coughing subsides and does not come again. *The soup was hot, spicy and addictive.
The soup went well with these salty crackers.
NOTE [07/16/22]: I made some more of this spicy hot soup this morning. I did not have any Poblano peppers. I also added some Cilantro. The resulting soup was not as flavorful.
I decided to add some Polska Kielbasa. The soup was better, but no where near as good as the previous batch.
Bill Gibson, II 