dilly carrot and lentil stew

Carrot soup is something that is eaten at pretty much any holiday available in my family.  I have never seen it anywhere else in the world, and because of that it haunts me.  For 25 years I never understood why I loved this carrot soup but didn't care for carrots on their own.  I have changed a few aspects of the soup to update it but also make it in a way that I like all of my food.  The original is completely smooth, almost like a carrot bisque and whilst it is very good like that, I need texture.  The texture is leaving the carrots intact and crushing them slightly against the pot, and adding lentils.  Without the lentils, it is just a pot of carrot water and it makes it more of a stew which in my mind is preferable.

As the name suggests, there is dill in this stew.  The original had dill, but it was dried (which I now see as a tragedy) so I knew I had to add fresh dill.  I love dill, almost more than any herb which for me is like picking a favorite child.  I love all herbs, but dill always brings (without sounding hackneyed) je ne sais quoi.

As soon as I started to simmer carrots in broth, I was immediately transported to easter dinner as a child eating out of antique glass bowls and showering the soup with a McCormick jar of dried dill.  Even after adapting this recipe into my own I still can’t explain why I love it.  I guess some things that you (generally) like are in the hands of nostalgia and can’t be explained.  Maybe nostalgia itself is the explanation, and maybe people have already come to that conclusion but I'm getting there now.

Dilly carrot and lentil stew

Ingredients

• 1 ½ - 2 pounds carrots

• 1 cup red lentils

• 1 onion

• 4-6 cloves garlic

• 6 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)

• ¼ cup olive oil

• Fresh dill

• Chili flake (optional)

Instructions

1. Dice onion and slice garlic

2. Cut carrots into large chunks.  Around ¾ - 1 inch

3. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium low heat and cook garlic into just brown.  This step is really crucial not to mess up, you don’t want the taste of burnt garlic.  As soon as the garlic starts to brown around the edge, it should take ~30 seconds to brown all the way through and remove with a slotted spoon

4. Add onions into the pot with a pinch of salt and cracked pepper.  Sweat onions over medium high heat for 8-10 minutes

5. Add chili flake in this step if using, to bloom in the oil

6. After about 15-20 seconds of the chili flake toasting, add in carrots and coat with oil.  Add another punch of salt and pepper

7. Add in lentils and the broth.  I like to use Better than Bouillon but any kind of broth works.  

8. Cook on medium heat until carrots and lentils are fully cooked, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, lightly crush some of the carrots on the side of the pot with your spoon.  If the water gets too low, before carrots are cooked add in a little bit of water.

9. Chop around ¼ cup of dill and add into the stew.

10. Serve with fried garlic on top, more dill and a little bit of butter.

    

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I am also really into Material kitchen serve and prep ware for everything and anything. Including serving this stew in.

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