{Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter}

I recently saw on the telly that by 2050 they are going to be able to grow meat test tube style in labs for the supermarkets, that little piece of information makes my blood run cold and gets filed away in that folder in my brain with all the other things I wish i'd never heard.

It makes me more determined to live a life where we only shop at the farmers market, where I can look into the eye of and touch the hand of the farmer, giving him a once over ensuring he's not hiding behind a white coat with a pocket protector.

It also makes me want to discover more vegetarian recipes, this is a really lovely one, it's quite exotic for a soup, its thick and spicy and perfect for warming your tummy on an autumn evening. Autumn is hands down my favourite season.

...the soup
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
5 1/2 cups / 1.3L vegetable stock
300g green lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup / 125 ml coconut milk
sea salt


...the brown butter
3 tbsp butter

1 tbsp curry powder

Pop 2 tablespoons butter, onion, garlic, and chilli flakes in a large pot over medium heat, cook until the onions are softened. Add the vegetable stock and lentils and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender. This usually takes around half an hour.



In the meantime, warm the 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and let it brown. When it starts to smell nutty and fragrant, stir in the curry powder and stir for a minute until the spices are also fragrant.

When the lentils are finished cooking, remove from the heat, stir in the coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and puree with an immersion blender, keep going until it is perfectly smooth.

Stir half of the spiced butter into the soup, serve drizzled with the remaining spice butter.