Lebanese Lentil Soup

Serves: 4-6
Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups brown or green lentils, prepared and washed
• 7 cups water
• 2 cloves garlic crushed with 1½ teaspoons salt
• ¾ cup onions, chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• 8 spinach leaves plus a few stalks, chopped finely
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon corn flour / cornstarch (optional)
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped finely

Preparation:

• Place the lentils in a saucepan with 7 cups of water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer until tender.

• Brown the onions in oil. Add the chopped spinach and the garlic crushed with salt, and mix well. Sauté slowly until the spinach becomes soft.

• Bring the lentils back to the boil and add the celery and the sautéed mixture. Turn the heat to low and simmer slowly for 5 minutes.

• For a thin soup, mix in the lemon juice and adjust salt to taste. For a thicker soup, mix the corn flour / cornstarch with the lemon juice before adding it to the cooked soup, and then allow soup to simmer for a few minutes longer.