Warming Lentil Soup

When we were in Azerbaijan last spring, we ate a really tasty lentil soup. I looked up a basic lentil recipe and added ingredients to get to the remembered taste. It came out tasting delicious, if not as thick as I remembered it.

Ingredients >     1 Tbsp olive oil >     1 large onion chopped >     2 garlic cloves, crushed >      2 carrots, grated >     2  tomatoes, chopped (optional) >     1.7 litre vegetable stock >     2 cups orange lentils >     2 bay leaves >     Salt and freshly ground black pepper >     1/2 tsp mixed herbs  >     1/2 tsp garam masala (optional) >     2 Tbsp lemon juice (optional, but recommended)

Steps 1.     Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onions, garlic and carrots. 2.    Cover the pot and let them gently cook, on a small flame, for about 5 minutes. 3.    Add the tomatoes, lentils, seasoning and stock. 4.    Bring to the boil, then cover the pot, turn down the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes until the lentils are soft. 5.    Remove the bay leaves, and check the seasoning. 6.    Add about 1 tsp of lemon juice to each plate when serving. Makes 8 portions.