Here’s the recipe for a Moroccan Red Lentil Soup I found online at CanadianLiving.com with my notes in red (link).

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

Brilliant red and filled with the spices of the country it represents, this soup is a definite crowd-pleaser – perfect for this big-batch recipe. Of course, you can always just halve the ingredients if you want to make less. Also, it freezes really well. By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
Source: Canadian Living Magazine: October 2003

• Portion size 8

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil (I think mine was just regular olive oil)
• 2 onions, chopped (Gordon Ramsay’s How To Chop An Onion)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt
• 1 tsp (5 mL) pepper
• 1 tsp (5 mL) turmeric
• 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground ginger
• 1 Pinch saffron, (optional) (Nice for colour, but I couldn’t find any.)
• 8 cups (1.5 L) water (and stock – to taste) (I did 2 tetra packs of broth and a cup of water)
• 1 cup (250 mL) red lentils
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used cooked potatoes and added them near the end so they wouldn’t get too mushy.)
• 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) tomatoes
• 1 cup (250 mL) frozen peas (Add near the end, the mushy thing.)
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) light sour cream (When serving.)
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) minced fresh parsley (Garnish.)

Preparation

In large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven (I did it all in my soup pot), heat oil over medium heat; cook onions, garlic and celery, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add salt, pepper, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and saffron (if using) (didn’t have any saffron…); cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes (or 3, or 4, or 5…).

Add water, lentils, tomato paste, potatoes (later) and tomatoes, breaking up tomatoes with spoon; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 35 minutes (Mine simmered for an hour, then I added the cooked potatoes and peas…).

Add peas; simmer until lentils, vegetables and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes (25 minutes for me).

I let mine cool a bit, then took out the kitchen wand (hand blender – immersion blender) and pureed the soup until it got to a pea soup consistency.

Didn’t hurt to add a splash of Frank’s RedHot.

(Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes; refrigerate, uncovered, in shallow airtight container until cold. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat to serve.) Ladle into bowls. Dollop each with sour cream; sprinkle with parsley.

Complete recipe here…

Here’s our version of “Victoria’s Official Clam Chowder”. Our recipe is based on the original recipe from The Princess Mary Restaurant in Esquimalt, which closed it’s doors February 27, 2014. (Here’s the ‘Times Colonist’ article).

Our version has a few modifications (mushrooms and Clamato) and is delicious!!

3 slices of bacon
1 tsp thyme
1 cup sliced/diced onions
3 cups uncooked potatoes (diced)
1/2 cup celery
5 cups hot water
1 tbsp parsley
1 can sliced mushrooms
a pinch of curry
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
28 oz canned tomatoes
1 1/2 cups carrots
3 cups clam juice (or Clamato Juice)
1 tin of clams

1. Slice bacon (small pieces), saute bacon, thyme, onion
2. Add potatoes, celery, hot water, salt, pepper
3. Cover, simmer 5 minutes
4. Add tomatoes, carrots, clam liquid (Clamato)
5. Simmer, 1 hour
6. Add clams (at the end)
7. Thicken with flour if desired…
Enjoy!