Curried Red Lentil Soup

A wonderful recipe from Ann Gentry's, "Vegan Family Meals: Real Food for Everyone." Ann is the owner of Real Food Daily in Los Angeles which happens to be one of my favorite restaurants.

Ingredients
8 cups water
2 cups red lentils, picked through and rinsed
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs minced and peeled fresh ginger
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp fine seal salt
1/4 fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbs curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 lemon, halved

Directions
1. Combine the water and lentils in a heavy pot. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the top. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger, olive oil, and the 2 tbs salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the lentils are falling apart, about 20 minutes.

3. Stir in the cilantro, curry powder, and cumin. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very tender and the soup thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Squeeze a few generous drops of lemon juice into each bowl of soup and serve.

5. The soup will keep for 2 days, covered and refrigerated, or for 1 month frozen. To rewarm, bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding water to thin the soup to the desired consistency.

Serves 8 to 10 (makes about 10 cups)