Vegetarian lentil soup in the style of the Catalan gardener

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g lentils, brown, or other variety of your choice
• 1 large onion(s), white
• 1 large onion(s), purple
• 6 large carrots
• 1 stalk of flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 large tomatoes, sun-ripened
• 2 leeks
• 3 stalk(s) celery or 1/2 celeriac
• 4 m.-sized potatoes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp caraway seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame or toasted olive oil
• n. B. vegetable stock powder or salt and pepper
• ½ liter vegetable stock
• 2 cloves

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 1 day; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 1 day 2 hours 30 minutes

Sopa de lentejas à la jardinera Catalana

Soak the lentils for about 24 hours, then discard the lentil water. Peel or trim the onion, carrots, tomatoes, and potatoes and cut into small 8-10 mm pieces. Trim the leek and celery and cut each into three or four small pieces. Chop the flat-leaf parsley and set aside. Crack the caraway and sesame seeds in a mortar. Peel the garlic and break it up with a flat knife. Roast it in hot olive oil with the onions. When the surface starts to brown, add the sesame seeds and caraway seeds (tip: a small cinnamon stick works too) and fry until the onions are caramelized. Add the lentils, celery, and the green part of the leek, potatoes, and carrots. Sauté everything briefly and pour in half a liter of vegetable stock. Simmer the soup on low heat for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally (to prevent burning on the bottom and to ensure the lentils and remaining vegetables cook through). Add a little water every now and then until the soup reaches approximately 2-2.5 liters. Season to taste with vegetable stock powder or salt and pepper. After the specified time, skim off the celery and leek. Finely grind the cloves and stir into the soup. Finely chop the white part of the leek. Add to the warm soup along with the flat-leaf parsley and serve.