Lentil Soup w/ Ricotta & Zucchini Bruschetta

An all time favourite of mine for those long, grey, rainy days! Whether you're on a budget, or just craving a homemade soup - this one will not let you down!

I was inspired by Gordon Ramsay's Bruschetta, but I added my twist to it - roasted garlic.

Now guys, if you've never tried this before, seriously please do. The roasting process completely changes the raw harsh flavour of garlic that we're all used to. It softens completely to the point where its spreadable on bread (which is exactly what we're going to do) and develops this almost sweet caramelised flavour which you won't be able to resist. The best part - dead easy to make.

As to the soup itself, you can literally whack in whatever leftover veggies you have in the fridge.. The main things you need will be for your base. A veggie soup should always start off with onions. I used a mix of onion and shallots, just cause I had some extra laying around. The next thing is our root veggie, which in this case is carrot.

I also had some celery stalks and a celeriac, so I chopped those up as well. Be careful if you're using both though, as they can overpower the entire soup taste.

From there, we move on to the stock, and the herbs. I used a mix of vegetable, and a tiny bit of beef to enhace the flavour, and threw in some thyme to complement the root veggies. The hardest part - chopping it all up, literally.

Not a show stopper this dish, but awesome for those "under the blanket" days/ nights.

Let's get cracking, shall we?

INGREDIENTS (serves 4, a hungry 3)

200g red lentils
1 whole garlic bulb + 1 extra clove (for the soup)
1/2 onion, minced
2 small shallots, minced (can also be replaced by using a whole onion)
1 celery stalk, diced into small cubes
3 medium sized carrots, diced into small cubes
1/4 of a whole celeriac, diced into small cubes ( or use 2 celery stalks)
2 sprigs thyme (leaves only)
1 L vegetable stock
1 zucchini, sliced diagonaly, or shredded using a vegetable peeler
1 ciabatta bread, cut diagonaly
250g ricotta
1 handful of parsley & dill
3 tablespoons olive oil (approx.)
salt & pepper to taste

Start off by cutting of the top part of a whole garlic bulb, having the tops exposed.

Place it on a piece of aluminium foil, season with salt and drizzle a little oilve oil on top.

If you have some leftover herbs that have a strong stalk like thyme, rosemary, or even oregano, whack those inside as well. Grab the foil from the side and close off the garlic so that its covered completely. Bake in at 200°c for approximately 45 minutes.

While your garlic is in the oven, chop up all of your veggies. Try to dice them all up within the same size, so that they cook evenly. Once you do, add them to your pot, season with salt & pepper, and add approximately 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté your vegetables over medium heat until you see the onions becoming translucent. At that point, you wanna add your thyme leaves, and the broth of your preference. I personally used one vegetable stock cube, and half of a beef stock cube. If I can get a hold of a good broth / if I make one myself, I would definitely use it! However, I didn't have any at hand, so a cube had to suffice. Once you add your stock, lower the heat to low, and add in your lentils. Cover with a lid and cook for approximately 30 minutes. Once its cooked, you will see that the lentils soaked up most of the stock, leaving you with a lovely thick soup.

For the bruschetta, slice your bread diagonally, and coat both sides with olive oil.

Choose whether you want to crisp it up in the oven, or in a pan. This would also work great with old bread! Sprinkle it with a few drops of water before adding the olive oil, and you'll be good to go! Meanwhile, mince your dill and add it to the ricotta. Stir to combine and set aside. Warm up a pan over high heat, and cut up your zucchini. Season with salt, drizzle with some olive oil, and toss to coat evenly. Grill over a hot pan until browned.

I recommend making the bruschetta 5-6 minutes before your garlic is done, at which point your soup should almost be done as well. Remove your garlic from the oven, and allow it to cool for approx. 3 minutes. Open it, and squeeze out the roasted bulbs. Spread a layer of the pasty garlic on your bread first, followed by the ricotta, and top up with zucchini.

For a fresh touch, add a couple drops of lemon juice, and a crack of black pepper.

Serve alongside the soup and enjoy!

There you have it, your soup is served!