TURKISH LENTIL TOMATO SOUP

+ a chat with Claire Thomson - author of One Pan Beans!

I think we can all agree that winter has dragged on a touch too long, like every year in the UK, we are done with the cold and the grey. But fear not, this lentil & tomato soup is a ray of sunshine for your stomach and your mind, it really does feel like a bowl of vitamin D - when really, I guess we’re talking vitamin C and B6. The recipe comes from Claire Thomson’s new book One Pan Beans, a brilliant resource for recipes that utlilise daily beans and pulses into delicious, simple, hearty recipes, for any time of the day or week. This soup really stood out to me and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you alongside mine and Claire’s chat.

I hope you enjoy the soup and the interview as much as I did putting it together for you.

Sending love, Rosie x

For anyone who doesn’t know you already, please can you introduce yourself, tell us a little about who you are and what you do?

I am Claire, a chef and a food writer and I go by 5oclockapron on instagram where I post daily cookery reels of what I cook for my family at home. Once a professional chef and restaurant owner, since having kids some 18 years ago, I have been writing about food and have now published 11 cookery books. I pop up every now and again as a chef, which I love. Would feel strange without at least a couple of chef whites in my clothes cupboard at home.

Congratulations on your most recent cookbook, One Pan Beans! It’s such a beautiful and of the moment book, I can see myself cooking from it over and over again. Can you tell us a little about the making of this book and if it differed from your previous books?

My 2nd book, written around 8 years ago, was called The Art of the Larder and in that I have a whole chapter on Beans and Pulses. I knew I could double, triple, quadruple that chapter at the time. Which was fortunate when it came to writing this one. One Pan Beans follows on from One Pan Chicken, it’s going to be a series of cookbooks, about cooking simply and efficiently, about what flavours go with what and why, how to make effortless, delicious food, day in, day out. I cook prolifically, recipe testing all day and every day, I write for a number of publications as well as my books, and there is no doubt, beans, chickpeas and lentils are a mainstay here in my kitchen at home.

You’re so wonderful at sharing part of family life with your audience, particularly what you’re cooking for your family. Do you ever get food fatigue from constantly cooking and sharing recipes online? And if so, what’s the meal that brings you back to yourself.

Great Q! We are a household of chefs, my husband is also a chef and now works in recipe development. There is no escape from food and recipe testing, my kids are extremely used to being around food and cooking. And no, not really, I don’t get cookery fatigue because it is my job, but also I have three school aged children that eat every single day, going out to eat costs a fortune (which is right) so we tend to keep this for birthdays and treats. One meal that brings me back to earth, and my kids love to eat, is Pasta e Fagioli. No surprises here, recipe is in the cookbook.

You’re a leading voice in the food writing game, with 11 cookbooks under your belt and counting! What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry, looking to cultivate a career in food and recipe writing?

I honestly think my decade plus in commercial kitchens was the best thing for me. I studied journalism, film and broadcasting for my degree aged 18 - 21, but it wasn't until I caught the cookery bug working in restaurants all through uni, travelling and cooking abroad and then working in London, Bristol and Cornwall in various restaurants that I wanted to call myself a food writer. I love that I have the years of practical experience under my belt, I can cook for 5 of us as a family at home, but equally so, I can get my whites on, sharpen my knife and cook for 80 people at speed in a restaurant kitchen. I love that.

If you could give your 18 year old self some advice, what would it be?

So much. Learn a language. Take deeper breaths and keep playing sport as an adult. I play netball now as a 40+ yr old, which I love. I had my first baby at 26, so if i’d known at 18 that that wasn't all that far off, I’d have liked to have cooked for a lengthy period of time in Italy before having kids, because one thing’s for sure, if and when you have kids, and they are babies and toddlers, you are very much at home, for a very lengthy period of time!

Can you describe a typical morning for me, in particular, any morning rituals you enjoy?

I get up at 6.45 am in order to get my 3 kids out the door to school on time by 7.45. I make their packed lunches, because the food at school on offer is pretty hopeless and factor in school dinner money x3, I can make better food, for less money, so I do, every single morning in the term time. I love a cup of strong tea, then move to coffee in an Aeropress. When the kids are out the door I usually have writing to do, also cooking to do, be it recipe testing for a publication or for one of my daily cookery reels.

And your ideal breakfast?

Depends. On the weekend, feta scrambled eggs with za’atar on good buttered toast. On a weekday, I like ridiculously healthy muesli with oat milk and kefir, maybe a grapefruit too. I love nuts and seeds and muesli gives me this in barrel loads. I make my own, because it is so much cheaper and much, much tastier, I add cocoa nibs, dried mulberries, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds amongst other things.

As we trudge our way through the depths of winter, what is your favourite thing to cook for dinner?

Honestly can’t answer that, I cook such an enormous amount… I cook so regularly and so many different things, it might be easier to answer what I don’t enjoy cooking. In fact, I can't answer that either, as there isn't anything. My favourite thing to cook is probably more the event I am cooking for, and in a normal week, that’s probably Sunday Lunch with everyone at home at around 5pm. My Sunday lunches tend to have an Italian lens on them.

In terms of seasonal produce, what are you looking forward to cooking with in the coming months, and what will you be making with it?

Bright spring greens, wild garlic and asparagus… minestrone for the win, just add good olive oil and you're away. I also have a soft spot for forced rhubarb, I just love the sharp fruity tang. And it’s great in a gin based cocktail.

And if you could cook for anyone, dead or alive, who would that be?

Nina Simone. What a woman.

Turkish Lentil Tomato Soup

Serves 4

One of the quickest and easiest soups of all. Cook split red lentils, then slump into a soup that is sublime in texture, with no real need to blend. The soup’s flavours take inspiration from Turkey, as does the serving suggestion of dried mint, chilli flakes and plain yogurt. I would suggest you serve this soup warm, not piping hot, for the flavours to really sing.

4 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red (bell) pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely grated

4 tbsp olive oil, plus more to serve

3 garlic cloves, 2 finely chopped, 1 crushed

1 tbsp Turkish pepper paste or 2 tsp tomato puree (paste) mixed with 2 tsp unsmoked sweet paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 x 400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes

150g (51/2oz) split red lentils, rinsed and drained

1 litre (35fl oz) vegetable stock or water

juice of ½ lemon

salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

100g (3.oz) plain yogurt

4 tbsp pumpkin or sunflower seeds (or a mix of both), ideally lightly toasted

1 tsp dried mint (optional)

1 tsp Urfa chilli flakes (optional)

flatbread or pitta (optional)

1. In a large saucepan over a moderate heat, cook the celery, onion, red pepper and carrots in the olive oil for 10 minutes until softened.

2. Meanwhile, mix the crushed garlic into the yogurt and season to taste with salt and pepper. Put to one side.

3. Stir the finely chopped garlic into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in the pepper paste and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.

4. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to thicken, then stir in the red lentils, vegetable stock and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20–25 minutes until the lentils are tender.

5. Use a stick blender, or a countertop blender, to partially puree half the soup until smooth and creamy. If using a countertop blender, work in batches and take care with the hot soup.

6. Return the pureed soup to the pan, add the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning if needed.

7. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and add a spoonful of the garlic yogurt. Sprinkle the seeds on top, with the dried mint and chilli flakes (if using), and finish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with wholemeal flatbread or pitta, if you like.

You can order a copy of Claire’s book One Pan Beans here.