Earlier this month I accompanied a friend on a 7-day hiking tour of Scotland. I am not a hiker but I held my own (barely) for much of the time. At least I made it up and down the Devil's Staircase, a 9-mile hike with trekking poles. And yes, it was as hard as it sounds. One day I opted out of yet another rigorous hike to spend the day in the delightful town of Portree on the Isle of Skye. I stopped at the Portree Hotel for lunch and ordered the soup-of-the-day, carrot lentil soup. What a revelation! It was beyond delicious.
Upon returning home to Kansas I emailed the hotel and asked if the chef would kindly share the ingredients for the soup, if not the entire recipe. I received this response:
Good afternoon Anne,
I have spoken to the head chef and he says it’s Carrots, Lentils, Onion, Celery, Chicken or Veg Stock, Salt & Pepper.
Kind regards
Zoe
Portree Hotel
Isle of Skye, Scotland
I got right on it and found multiple online recipes for Scottish carrot lentil soup. Some of them contained various herbs such as cumin, bay leaves, thyme, paprika. But the general consensus was the same: carrot lentil soup is a simple concoction of red lentils, carrots, onion, celery and broth. Herbs optional. With the Portree chef's guidance, here's what I hope is a facsimile of a traditional Scottish soup. It's simple, hearty and low in calories, fat and Weight Watchers points. The lentils provide lots of protein so you can serve this as an entree with a salad.
As I often say, this isn't diet food. This is good food and good health served up in one bowl. Add your own herbs and enjoy!
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup red lentils, rinsed in a colander
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice to garnish (optional)
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Sauté onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Stir in lentils, broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20-25 minutes, partially covered, until lentils are tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Purée soup with an immersion blender or a food processor. Add more broth or water if soup is too thick.
I like adding a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for a touch of acidity.
Serves 4
WW Points per serving: 1
