This weeks soup

For some reason, I've really gotten into making soups lately. Last
week I did a fun potato leek soup that was amazing (I'll post that
too). Here's the one I'm going to try this week...

Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Be sure to pick through your lentils carefully. I somehow always find
pebbles or clots of dirt hiding in their midst. Better to catch them
on the front end, before you chip a tooth. And to make this soup
vegan, just skip the feta at the end i bet some chopped avocado would
be a good alternative.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 shallots, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

6 cups good-tasting vegetable stock (or water)
1 1/3 cup red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice, picked over and rinsed
as much fine grain sea salt as you need

slivered almonds, toasted
black oil cured olives, chopped
feta, crumbled

In a big soup pot, over medium heat, combine the olive oil, onion,
shallots, and red pepper flakes. Let them brown, and caramelize a bit,
stirring occasionally.

Stir in the broth, bring to a boil, then stir in the lentils and rice.
Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice is very tender, and not
at all toothsome. By this time, the lentils will have collapsed into a
thick slop of sorts. If you need to add more water/broth at any point
do so a splash at a time, until the soup thins out to the point you
prefer.

Unless you used a salty broth, you will likely need to salt
generously, until the the soup no longer tastes flat. Serve each bowl
topped with almonds, olives, feta, and a slight drizzle of olive oil
if you like.

Serves 4 - 6.