For a while now I have been following Diane Balch's "French Fridays with Dorie." She is a proud member of the club and gives very clear and honest reviews on the recipes she tries. I really enjoy reading her posts and had bookmarked this particular recipe because unlike many other French recipes the Orange-Scented Lentil Soup seemed down-to-earth, cook-able yet chic. Of course with the limited supply of ingredients I had in hand and with Diane's review in mind, I modified the recipe a bit. so the version that you'll see here is not quite Dorie's though it is totally inspired by her's.
I figured that the essence of the soup was in simmering the veggies and the lentils along with strips of orange peels and spices. so i remained faithful to that part of the recipe. though instead of French lentils I used red lentils or masoor dal as we call it. and in place of coriander seeds I used a combination of Indian spices. namely, one whole anise star and ground roasted cumin. the result was delightful. even before tasting the soup I knew something wonderful was simmering in the pot.... the combined aroma of the oranges and the spices kept telling me so. and they really kept their promise. The soup was delicious. since the soup tasted delicious by itself I skipped the yogurt topping and the bacon all-together that were part of Dorie's recipe and we did not regret it at all. Also, I did not puree the soup. it felt like an unnecessary addition to the chores. i served the soup straight from the pot to the bowl... and before starting to slurp on our spoonfuls plucked out the anise star and cloves from it.. it was the perfect dinner along with the Partybrot bread( pictures and recipe coming up soon) i had baked..
I figured that the essence of the soup was in simmering the veggies and the lentils along with strips of orange peels and spices. so i remained faithful to that part of the recipe. though instead of French lentils I used red lentils or masoor dal as we call it. and in place of coriander seeds I used a combination of Indian spices. namely, one whole anise star and ground roasted cumin. the result was delightful. even before tasting the soup I knew something wonderful was simmering in the pot.... the combined aroma of the oranges and the spices kept telling me so. and they really kept their promise. The soup was delicious. since the soup tasted delicious by itself I skipped the yogurt topping and the bacon all-together that were part of Dorie's recipe and we did not regret it at all. Also, I did not puree the soup. it felt like an unnecessary addition to the chores. i served the soup straight from the pot to the bowl... and before starting to slurp on our spoonfuls plucked out the anise star and cloves from it.. it was the perfect dinner along with the Partybrot bread( pictures and recipe coming up soon) i had baked..
