Lentil SoupLentil soup does not need to be plain. There are plenty of things that go very well with it that can be pulled down from the cupboard, some more exotic than others. Pretty much the only thing that it needs is salt, salt. Salt to taste, of course, but this is a dish that seasoning really wakes up.
Black pepper is good, I find. The stuff from the can will do, but it's better to grind the stuff from whole, right over the soup. White pepper works, too, adding a cleaner heat that can be most welcome depending on the weather.
Cumin is good here, too, and cumin is also a thing that is better done from whole seed. With whole seed, the cumin can be toasted first: put cumin seed in a dry pan over low heat, and occasionally jostle. When it smells right, it is done. We keep a coffee grinder around to grind the stuff (and other, similar stuff) up. It makes an amazing difference, and is magic in the soup.
I sometimes put nutmeg in, but I am strange.
All content under copyright by the author. Dancing is permitted. The strange deltic glyphs in the sand under tidal flow are a pleasure to watch in their deepening. Offer not valid in Kansas. We put it down and then we lost it. It all happens in the corner of the eye. Commentary accepted at pen@goob.com, although the traps are agressive and the pointy bits simply drip with dark liquour. We have a dog, but we do not own it. Thank you.