White sweet potato, lentil, and meyer lemon soup

It may be unseasonably warm outside today, but it is still very much soup weather.

Looking to finish our lemon month strong, I was inspired by Melissa Clark’s parsnip soup with meyer lemons, and the lemons do add that touch of brightness to an otherwise rich and filling soup.

You’ll need:

• 2 white sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1 T smoky paprika (I used the South African smoke mix from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 T crushed curry leaves
• 4 sprigs thyme, chopped
• juice of 1/2 of a meyer lemon + 1/2 t zest
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 2 gloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups water
• salt
• olive oil

1. In a large stockpot, heat up 2 T olive oil and add the shallot and garlic. Cook until just getting translucent.

2. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into even-sized pieces. Add them to the pot together with thyme, half of the cumin and paprika, and curry leaves. Continue to cook at medium heat, about 10 minutes until lightly golden. Stir often.

3. Add the stock, water, lentils, and the remaining spices to the pot and bring up to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Taste for seasoning and add a little bit more salt or paprika, if you want.

4. Use an immersion blender – or scoop out in batches into a food processor – to puree the soup. I like to leave it just a little chunky. The texture of this soup is just beautiful.

5. Squeeze lemon juice and add lemon zest to the pureed soup. Sprinkle with a little more paprika flakes, lemon juice, or chili oil before serving, if desired.