Red Lentil Soup

This was simple, uncomplicated fare for tonight. Though, despite the overwhelming amount of red lentils in it (I had to put in about 1/4 cup green mung beans to make up for not having enough red lentils), there is not a TRACE of red color to this dish.

Either way, the cumin did it's job here along with a little thyme, parsley and a good squeeze of lemon juice at the end. Fuss-free! Have some toast to sop up the dregs!

1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 cup red lentils (7 ounces), picked over and rinsed
3 ½ cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Cook onion in oil with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic, cumin, bay leaf, and thyme and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Add lentils, broth, water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are very soft and falling apart, about 30 to 45 minutes.

Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig, then purée 2 cups of mixture in blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and return to pan.

Stir in parsley and season with salt.