Cream of Lentil (Vegan)

The inspiration for this recipe was the use of Worcestershire sauce as a seasoning.  In the traditional recipe, from the Mexican state of Zacatecas, cream and chopped ham are also listed as ingredients but, since I wanted to highlight my vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (click here for details), I omitted them, to transform the dish into a fully vegan-approved soup.

Cream of Lentil (Vegan) –

Crema de lentejas (vegana)

Printable recipe: Cream of Lentil (Vegan)

Ingredients

1 cup dry lentils; cleaned, rinsed and drained
4 cups water
¼ large tomato
1 tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (click here for printable recipe)
1 tsp salt, or to taste
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp oil
¼ cup onion; peeled and sliced
1 tbsp flour
Cilantro leaves, to garnish
Lime wedges and soda crackers, to serve; optional

Place lentils, water and tomato in a pot over high heat, and bring to boil (photo below, left); reduce to medium heat, partially cover pot and cook for about twenty minutes, until lentils are tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least one hour.  Remove tomato from the pot, and pull and discard skin (photo below, right):

Measure and reserve half a cup of the cooking liquid (photo below, left); transfer the rest of the liquid, lentils, and peeled tomato to a blender jar, and reserve.  Add oil to the empty pot, and warm up over medium heat; add onions and sauté until translucent and slightly browned (photo below, right):

Remove from heat, and reserve pot, adding onions to the blender jar, along with the salt, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce (photo below, left); blend thoroughly, for about one minute, until very smooth (photo below, right):

Back to the stove, reheat oil left in the pot over medium heat, add flour and stir, breaking up clumps (photo below, left).  Add reserved half cup of cooking liquid, stirring constantly with a beater (photo below, centre); continue cooking and stirring until a smooth and slightly thickened sauce is obtained (photo below, right):

Pour in reserved lentil mix from the blender (photo below, left).  Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until the soup has thickened and has a creamy consistency (photo below, right):

Serve hot, topped with cilantro leaves:

I loved having a bowl of this hearty soup with a garden salad, for a meatless meal during this Lent season in the Christian calendar:

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I juts learn from Rosemarie’s kitchen that today is, coincidentally, “Soup it forward day”, when you are encouraged to prepare a pot of soup and share it with someone in need. My church has a “Lenten Soup Luncheon” event.  Each Sunday in Lent, 4 or 5 people sign up and donate a pot of soup to share after the service, and others bring butter and bread; it is free to all, but cash donations are accepted to support the Anglican Church of Canada’s relief and development projects around the World.  There are some classic soups that are very popular at these luncheons, such as Italian pasta e fagioli or Polish Borsch; I have to say, lentil soup is usually not one of them, but I think this Mexican crema de lentejas  could please even the snootiest palates.

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This post is dedicated to my dear friend Anya, who loves soup.  It is not too cold today, but it looks gloomy, with the morning haze still somewhat heavy outside.  I might bring her a bowl or two of my soup, if she would provide with the spoons …

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I am bringing my recipe to Full Plate Thursday #474 with Miz Helen @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

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I am bringing my recipe to Thursday Favourite Things #429 with Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn, Pam @ An Artful Mom, Katherine @ Katherine’s Corner, Amber @ Follow the Yellow Brick Home, Theresa @ Shoestring Elegance and Linda @ Crafts a la Mode.

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I am joining Fiesta Friday #318 with Angie @ Fiesta Friday.

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I am sharing my recipe at What’s for Dinner? Sunday Link-Up #243 with Helen @ The Lazy Gastronome.

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I am bringing my recipe at Over the Moon #215, graciously hosted by Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn, and Marilyn @ Marilyn’s Treats. Special thanks to Bev for featuring my Green Rice at this party.