First, the Red Lentil Soup. There is one of these recipes in just about every cookbook. It is reminiscent of mullagitawny. Heat a couple of tbsp olive oil in a pan. Add 1 chopped onion and cook until soft. Add 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, some red pepper flakes to taste. Stir for about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup rinsed red lentils, 1 peeled and chopped carrots, a can tomatoes, chopped, and 4 cups chicken stock. Cover and cook for about 30-40 minutes. Puree using immersion blender. Add juice of 1/2 lemon. Stir.
While the lentils are cooking, heat some more olive oil in a pan. Add thinly sliced onion to the pan and cook on low until softened and browned, about 15-20 minutes.
Garnish the soup with the onions.
This is a spice blend I had never heard of before. It seems that there are as many ways to make as their are people making it in in Egypt. So, again, I used what I had on hand. I find it a little addictive. This can be ground as coarse or as fine as you like. Mixed with olive oil, it's great to dip fresh baked pita bread.
Toast each of the nuts/seeds separately. (This is a pain in my rear, but each recipe I saw specifically mentions this, so I did it.
1/2 cup nuts (I used 1/4 cup almonds and 1/4 cup hazelnuts)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1/8 cup cumin seeds
After the nuts cool, place in food processor with 1/2 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper. Store in refrigerator.
My Dukka in action.
There wasn't anything specific to do with the dukka online. So I cut up some chicken breast. Tossed it with olive oil and the dukka and pan sauteed it in some olive oil. I served it alongside roasted cauliflower with cumin (I may be getting a little boring with my meals), feta and tomatoes tossed with olive oil and more dukka sprinkled over the top and some fresh pita.
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