Colm O'Gorman: Try my easy red lentil soup recipe with healthy wholewheat buttermilk scones

A hearty, delicious red lentil soup, paired with wholewheat buttermilk scones

If the response to my last two columns is anything to go by, people are very, very into soup recipes right now. Given the plunging temperatures, and the post-holidays need for some simpler fare after the indulgences of Christmas, I am in total agreement. Soup season it seems, is a thing, and I am here for it.

This week I have another lovely soup and bread combination for you; a hearty, delicious red lentil soup, paired with my wholewheat buttermilk scones.

I love red lentils. They cook quite quickly, are high in protein and have a lovely texture. This soup is lightly spiced, with just cumin and chilli flakes. If you want more heat, up the quantity of chilli flakes. The addition of fresh herbs and lemon juice at the end f the cooking time really brighten up the flavour. I like to use fresh coriander, but flat leaf parsley would also work well.

If you want to make the soup vegan, use a vegetable stock. You can also make a vegan buttermilk for the scones by adding lemon juice to a plant-based milk to sour it.

These butter milk scones are fabulous, and super quick and easy to make. They can be whipped up in about twenty minutes, perfect if you find the bread bin empty. This recipe has no fat, so these lovely light scones are best eaten warm and slathered in butter on the same day as baked, though they can be warmed up in an oven or air fryer to freshen them up the day after you make them if needs be. If you do not have buttermilk to hand, you can use a mix of half fresh milk and half natural yoghurt, or add a tablespoon of lemon juice to 350ml of fresh milk and let it sour a little before you use it.

Red lentil soup and wholewheat buttermilk scones

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

A hearty, delicious red lentil soup, paired with my wholewheat buttermilk scones.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• Red Lentil Soup

• 200g red lentils

• 1 large onion

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2-3 cm fresh ginger root

• 1 carrot

• 2 stalks celery

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp chilli flakes

• 2 tins chopped tomatoes

• 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• Good grind of black pepper

• Juice of half a lemon

• Handful fresh coriander

• Wholewheat Buttermilk Scones

• 225g wholewheat flour

• 225g plain white flour Handful of wheatgerm (optional)

• 1 tsp sea salt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 350ml buttermilk

• A sprinkle of sesame seeds

Method

1. Rinse the red lentils in a sieve under cold running water for a few minutes, and then pop them into a bowl of fresh water. Let the lentils soak while you get started on the rest of the soup ingredients.

2. Peel and finely chop the onion, the garlic, and the ginger. Wash the celery, peel the carrots, then finely chop both into small dice. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a high heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Sautee for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened. Add the carrot, the celery and cook for another few minutes.

3. Next, add the cumin and the chilli flakes, stir the spices into the vegetables and cook for another minute.

4. Drain the red lentils and pop them in the pan along with two tins of chopped tomatoes and the stock. Add the salt and a generous grind of black pepper and bring the pan to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover with a lid and let it bubble away gently for thirty minutes.

5. While the soup is simmering, make the scones. Preheat your oven to 190 Celsius. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the buttermilk. Stir to combine well; you will end up with quite a sticky dough. Turn it out onto a well-floured surface and sprinkle a little more flour over the top. Shape the dough into a rough rectangular shape, about 2.5cm thick.

6. Use a knife to cut the dough in half across the longest edge, and then into quarters. Now cut into thirds along the shortest edge to make twelve scones. Do not separate the scones. Instead, you will bake them in a batch which will give them a lovely soft, fluffy texture.

7. Transfer the batch of scones onto a non-stick or lined baking tray. Lightly whisk the egg with one tablespoon of cold water to make an egg wash and use a pastry brush to apply the wash to the top and sides of the batch of scones. Finally, sprinkle them with some sesame seeds.

8. Pop the tray into the oven and bake for fifteen to seventeen minutes. The scones are done when they are firm to the touch and lightly golden brown on top. Check them after fifteen minutes, leaving them in the oven for the full seventeen minutes if needed.

9. When baked, remove the tray for the oven, and allow the scones to cool a little on a wire rack. When they are cool enough to handle, break them apart by hand.

10. By now your soup should be cooked. To give it a lovely creamy finish, blitz half of the soup in a food processor until it is smooth and add it back to the saucepan. This will give you the perfect texture for this soup; lovely and creamy but a little chunky and hearty. Stir in the juice of half a lemon and a handful of chopped coriander. Taste and adjust the seasoning as required.

11. Serve this delicious soup in warm bowls with the freshly baked buttermilk scones on the side.