Winter warmer: sweet potato and lentil soup

Gorgeous.  Just gorgeous.  And simple.
Made in Thermione, other method given too.

From Google images, thank you.

Ingredients
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
A gloop of butter (that's for Diane!)
About 1/2 tsp crushed garlic from a jar
1 decent sized sweet potato, peeled and chopped roughly.
Three heaped tbst red/orange lentils
A vegetable stock pot (because a vegetarian was going to partake, otherwise I'd have used a chicken stock pot)
A good grating nutmeg (of course)
Some black pepper
Boiling water.

Any other seasonings you fancy - be brave!

Method.
Put the butter and the onion in the bowl and saute on 100, speed 2 for 5 mins
Add the remaining ingredients to the pan with enough boiling water to cover and a bit more (comes to about 1.5l in total).
Cook on 100 for 20 mins on 2
Zizz at speed 10 for a minute or lontger until silky smooth
Check seasonings and adjust.  I didn't add any other seasonings or salt.  The stock pot was salty enough.
Reheat to simmering and serve with crusty bread or croutons and maybe some grated cheese.


The normal way.
Saute the onion in butter until soft.
Add the remaining ingredients with enough boiling water to cover and a bit more.
Bring to the boil and simmer, covered, for about 20 mins or until the potato is cooked and the lentils are mushy,
Zizz in a blender or with a hand stick until smooth and velvety.  Check and adjust seasonings
Reheat to simmering point, serve with crusty fresh bread or croutons and maybe some grated cheese.

You could make it thicker by adding more lentils or more sweet potato.  You could add some cream at the end.  I did neither because it was absolutely delicious just the way it was.  It fed three of us, all having seconds.  It would do four fine.

Unadorned sweet potato and lentil soup: Thermomix and other!

I've just made this - and I mean *just*.  I'm in to the living room from pouring the end results into a jug to cool and washing out the bowl, etc.  It's jolly nice, jolly thick (will need diluting with milk or water) and fairly unadorned so could be spiced up with some curry paste.  I like it just as it is - the vegetable flavours are clearly there.

Ingredients to make quite a lot.
50g red lentils
one medium or two small onions, peeled and quartered
a garlic clove, peeled
a knob of butter or a pouring of oil
one medium carrot, peeled and chopped
one and a half medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
one small to medium potato, peeled, chopped and rinsed
boiling water (speeds it up, cold would be fine)
about two tbsp thermomix stock paste or stock cube/powder of choice, amount to taste really and can be added to later.

Method:
Thermomix:
put the red lentils in the bowl and grind on 8-10 for around 10 seconds until it is powdered.  Remove from bowl and set aside.

in the bowl add the onion, garlic and butter * and chop on 6 for about 10 seconds.  Then fry on 90, 4 mins, speed 3/4  Use the scraper to push down the sides.

Add the rest of the ingredients and cover with water to the 1.5 l mark.  Cook on 100, 15-20 mins (check after 15), speed 2.

When cooked, blend on 8 to 10 until smooth.  Check seasoning and thickness and adjust as required.

* if wanted, add some korma or other curry paste at this point.  I didn't this time but I will try it next time.

Normal method.
Heat the butter in the pan.  Add the onions and garlic, both chopped finely, and fry gently until soft and golden.  Add the remaining ingredients with enough water to cover and a bit more, bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are soft and cooked.  Zizz to the texture you want, check seasoning and thickness and adjust as required

Sorry - no photo.  One of these days I will remember to snap as I cook!