1 cup red* lentils, rinsed and drained
1 medium large onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 tsp. red pepper paste**
1 beef bouillon cake or 1 1/2 beef bouillon cubes
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped (or about 3 tbsp. canned crushed tomato)
3 1/2 cups water

Combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, cover and simmer on med-low heat for about 20 minutes. Puree in blender adding some additional hot water if necessary. It should be about the consistency of cool maple syrup.

Best served with fresh, crusty bread. Traditionally served with lemon wedges (to squeeze into your bowl) on the side.

* You can use the more common green lentils but the resulting soup does not have an especially pleasing color.

** If you cannot find Turkish-style red pepper paste (likely) and don't want to make your own (recipes on the web), here is a very rough approximation: Grind some crushed red pepper flakes with about 1/3 as much sea or kosher salt in a mortar and pestle. Remove and add a bit of olive oil to make a semi-paste.

Submitted by: Mike Thies