Vegan Lebanese lentil soup

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 100 g lentils, brown, dried
• 150 g water
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, waxy
• 2 m.-large tomato(s), fully ripe, red
• 1 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 3 Pepper, red, long, medium hot
• 2 tbsp celery, fresh or frozen
• 1 m.-sized vegetable onion(s)
• 3 small garlic cloves, fresh
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 300 g tomato juice
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar, mild
• 10 g vegetable stock (strong bouillon)
• Salt and pepper, black from the mill
• ½ tsp cumin
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 pinch(s) fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp oregano, shredded
• 1 tsp sage, dried
• 1 tsp allspice powder
• 2 cinnamon sticks, approx. 4 cm
• 1 star anise, whole
• Tabasco for spicing
• e.g. Pepper, red, in small cubes, fresh or frozen
• n. B. Celery leaves
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Rest time approx. 12 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 13 hours 15 minutes

A spicy, exotic soup with brown lentils and potatoes.

Wash the brown lentils until the rinse water runs clear. Strain and let soak overnight in fresh water. For the broth, wash the tomatoes, remove the stems, quarter lengthwise, and discard the green core and seeds. Halve the quarters crosswise. Wash the carrot, trim both ends, peel, and slice crosswise into approximately 3 mm thick slices. Remove the stems from the red peppers, wash them, halve them lengthwise, remove the seeds and membranes, and cut the halves crosswise into approximately 1 cm wide pieces. Wash the fresh celery, shake dry, and pick off any unblemished leaves. Chop them, reserving 2 tablespoons for garnishing and freezing the rest. Cut the leafless and unblemished stems crosswise into approximately 3 mm wide rolls. Take the appropriate amount. Freeze any unused stems as rolls. Weigh the frozen goods and let them thaw. Trim both ends of the onion and garlic cloves, peel them, and chop them roughly. Roast them in a pan with the sunflower oil until light brown. Deglaze with the tomato juice. Add the red wine vinegar, vegetable stock, and all the remaining stock ingredients and simmer with the lid on for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Blend in a blender on high for 1 minute until smooth. Transfer the puree to a 2-liter pot, add the lentils with their soaking water and all the spices, and simmer for 35 minutes. If the soup is too thick, thin with a little water. Meanwhile, peel and wash the potatoes and cut them into walnut-sized pieces. Add them to the soup 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Season the soup with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red wine vinegar. Add Tabasco to taste, if desired. Remove the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, and star anise. To garnish, wash a red bell pepper, halve it lengthwise, and remove the seeds. Cut each half lengthwise into thin strips, then cut each strip crosswise into small cubes. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, garnish, and serve hot with warm bread.