Turkish Spinach And Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 cup lentils, uncooked
• 5 cups nonfat beef broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cups onions, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup bulgur, raw
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pinch dried rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups spinach, coarsely chopped
• to taste parsley, chopped

Recipe

• 1 rinse the lentils.
• 2 bring them to a boil in the beef broth.
• 3 reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes.
• 4 meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a heavy soup pot. saute the onions until translucent. add the garlic, cayeene, bay leaves and bulgur.
• 5 stir the mixture on medium heat until the onions and bulgur are lightly browned.
• 6 mix in the parsley and tomatoes.
• 7 when the tomatoes begin to give up their juice, gently stir in the tomato paste. pour the lentils and their liquid into the soup pot with the onions and bulgur.
• 8 simmer the soup for 15 minutes.
• 9 add the rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. if the lentils and bulgur have absorbed too much liquid, add more broth, water or tomato juice. remove the bay leaves.
• 10 just before serving, stir in the fresh spinach and let it wilt in the hot soup.
• 11 garnish with more fresh parsley.
• 12 notes : serve this soup with crusty bread.
• 13 broil the bread on both sides, rubbed with a cut garlic clove, and drizzled with olive oil.