This one is for Patricia in Australia as they are just coming into 'soup season'. The weather here has been so awful for weeks that hot comforting soups are still very much on the menu.
I have been dreaming of the sea recently and planning a break on Med very soon. One of the big treats in France is the seafood, especially the fish soup. As the break was postponed I couldn't wait and this soup just gives a little taste of the sea.
Ingredients
250g Frozen Atlantic prawns
150g Red lentils
2-3 Shallots
1 Clove garlic
1 Stick celery
500g Fresh cherry tomatoes or 1 can.
Bay leaf (Remove this before blending the soup or it will taste bitter)
1 litre water of fish stock
25g Butter
Orange zest (1/2 small orange)
1 Glass white wine
Just a little note after a query, yes you do cook the prawns for this length of time, and they should be whole, in their shells, this is what gives the soup its flavour. You could add some peeled prawns to heat through gently just before serving.
Method
Chop the shallots & garlic and cook very gently in the butter with the prawns until the onions are soft. Don't let the onions colour.
De-glaze the pan with a good glass of white wine & pour into large pan.
Add the tomatoes, chopped celery and the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for about 1.5 hrs. A lot depends on the lentils, keep checking to see if they are cooked, they should be completly soft.
Now you can either blend the soup and then pass it through a mouli mill if you have one or a sieve (traditionally a conical shaped one called a Chinois. The mouli is beautifully simple to use and creates a lovely texture.
The orange zest makes a big difference! I have a gadget that removes tiny shreds of zest without any of the pith but a fine grater would work just as well.
The prawns really do need to be from the Atlantic to obtain the right flavour. Farmed warmwater prawns always look the part but rarely have any flavour. I don't like the way they are produced either.
Serve this in the traditional French way with finely grated Emmenthal or Gruyere cheese and a blob of Rouille, this is a mayonnaise with added garlic and tomato paste.
Enjoy X
I have been dreaming of the sea recently and planning a break on Med very soon. One of the big treats in France is the seafood, especially the fish soup. As the break was postponed I couldn't wait and this soup just gives a little taste of the sea.
Ingredients
250g Frozen Atlantic prawns
150g Red lentils
2-3 Shallots
1 Clove garlic
1 Stick celery
500g Fresh cherry tomatoes or 1 can.
Bay leaf (Remove this before blending the soup or it will taste bitter)
1 litre water of fish stock
25g Butter
Orange zest (1/2 small orange)
1 Glass white wine
Just a little note after a query, yes you do cook the prawns for this length of time, and they should be whole, in their shells, this is what gives the soup its flavour. You could add some peeled prawns to heat through gently just before serving.
Method
Chop the shallots & garlic and cook very gently in the butter with the prawns until the onions are soft. Don't let the onions colour.
De-glaze the pan with a good glass of white wine & pour into large pan.
Add the tomatoes, chopped celery and the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for about 1.5 hrs. A lot depends on the lentils, keep checking to see if they are cooked, they should be completly soft.
Now you can either blend the soup and then pass it through a mouli mill if you have one or a sieve (traditionally a conical shaped one called a Chinois. The mouli is beautifully simple to use and creates a lovely texture.
The prawns really do need to be from the Atlantic to obtain the right flavour. Farmed warmwater prawns always look the part but rarely have any flavour. I don't like the way they are produced either.
Serve this in the traditional French way with finely grated Emmenthal or Gruyere cheese and a blob of Rouille, this is a mayonnaise with added garlic and tomato paste.
Enjoy X
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