Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup

• 1 cup dried lentils
• 5 cups vegetable stock or water (more if needed)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup raw bulghur
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• pinch of dried rosemary (or to taste)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cups stemmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped fresh spinach
• chopped fresh parsley

1. Rinse the lentils. Bring them to a boil in the salted stock or water. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in heavy soup pot. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, cayenne, bay leaves and raw bulghur. Stir the mixture on medium heat until the onions and bulghur are lightly browned.
3. Mix in the parsley and tomatoes. When the tomatoes begin to give up their juice, gently stir in the tomato paste.
4. Pout the lentils and their liquid into the soup pot with the onions an dbulghur. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Add the rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste. if the lentils an dbulghur have absorbed too much liquid, add more stock, water or tomato juice. Remove the bay leaves.
5. Just before serving, stir in the fresh spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread.

Serves 6 to 8.

• Steve says he’s skipped the tomato paste.