Fast Lentil Soup with Fresh Salsa

This soup will be done before the snow melts off the boots in the mudroom! 

1 onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 carrots finely diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1 fresh ripe tomato, diced
2 cups broth, chicken or vegetable
1 15-oz can lentils, lightly drained
1/2 cup fresh hot salsa

Heat a slug of olive oil in a soup pot.  Add the onion, celery and carrot, and cook down over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic along with the cumin, rosemary and red pepper flakes, and cook another 2-3 minutes. 

Turn the heat up high and add the tomato.  Make sure there is enough olive oil to fry, not boil the tomato.  Let the tomato mixture sizzle 3-5 minutes to darken and caramelize a bit.  Add the broth and the lentils and bring to a boil.  Stir and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for another 15 minutes.

Serve the soup in shallow bowls with 1-2 tablespoons of fresh salsa piled in the middle.

Serves 4.

Cook's note:  Of course, you could cook this soup with fresh dried lentils.  I'd guess you'd need 1/2 cup dried lentils, and probably need to double the broth.

Continuing on with our series on fresh salsa, and the myriad ways to enjoy it (that is other than just eating it with a spoon):

There are so many great fresh salsas in the markets these days, you sometimes have to ask if its worth making your own, even though I have several recipes in these pages.  I like a certain hot, vinegary brand at my local market that adds a spicy and sour note to this otherwise subtle soup.  As Emeril always said "Kick it up a notch!"