Brown Lentil Soup

Place the 500 g brown lentils in a bowl and cover them with water. Let them soak while you prepare the vegetables.

Peel and dice the onions, carrots, red bell pepper, and celery stalks.

Finely chop the garlic clove.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Add the diced onions to the pot and cook until they become soft and translucent, about 3–5 minutes.

Add the diced carrots, celery, and red bell pepper to the pot and stir well.

I used homemade ice cubes of beef stock. If using a cube stock - dissolve the beef stock cube in 500 ml water and pour it into the pot with the vegetables.

Cook everything together for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.

Stir in the 1 tablespoon tomato concentrate and the chopped tomatoes, mixing well with the vegetables.

Drain the soaked lentils and add them to the pot.

Pour in the additional 1 litre of water and bring the soup to a gentle boil.

Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.

Add salt to taste, black pepper to taste, ½ teaspoon dried savory, ½ teaspoon dried spearmint, and the chopped garlic.

Continue cooking for another 15 minutes to allow all the flavors to combine beautifully.