Lentil and vegetable soup with preserved lemon

Ingredients:

- olive oil 2 tbsp
- onion 1, finely chopped
- carrots 3 medium, finely chopped
- celery 4 stalks, finely chopped
- garlic 4 cloves, minced
- salt 1 ½ tsp, plus more to taste
- ground cumin ½ tsp
- freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp
- beluga or puy lentils 225g, picked over and rinsed
- fresh spinach or chard 70g, chopped
- fresh lemon juice 2 tbsp
- preserved lemon rind 2 tbsp, finely minced (see note)
- shattah chilli paste (see recipe below) or harissa 1 tbsp (optional)

For the shatta chili paste (makes about 280g)

- fresh red chillies 500g, such as long hots, jalapeños or anaheim
- salt 1 tbsp
- olive oil 2 tbsp, plus more for sealing

Preparation:

To make the shatta or chili paste, preheat the oven to 100C fan/gas mark ½.

Remove the stems from the chillies and halve each lengthwise. Seed about half of the chillies.

Arrange the chillies cut-side up on a baking sheet and dry out in the oven until the chilies have started to shrivel around the edges, 60-90 minutes. The exact amount of time will depend on the size and variety of chili you are using, so keep an eye out and adjust accordingly.

Allow to cool completely, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. In a food processor, combine the chillies and salt, and process until coarsely ground. You don’t want it to become a liquid paste, but you also don’t want to see big pieces of pepper skin; it should be somewhere in between. Transfer the chilli paste to a bowl, add the olive oil, and mix until evenly combined.

Pour the chili mixture into a 450g glass jar or airtight glass container. Gently tap the jar on a soft flat surface to even out the top. Wipe any chilli paste from the edges and drizzle olive oil on top until the surface is fully covered. Seal and store in the refrigerator. Chili paste will keep for at least 1 month, as long as the surface remains covered in olive oil and you use a clean spoon each time you take some out.

To make the soup, in a casserole, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring regularly, until the vegetables have softened and started to brown around the edges, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, cumin and pepper, and cook until the garlic is fragrant but not browned, another 2-3 minutes.

Pour in 1.25 litres of water and deglaze any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the lentils, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer vigorously until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 20-30 minutes depending on the variety.

Stir in the chopped spinach and cook for another minute or so to wilt the leaves. Add the lemon juice, preserved lemon and chilli paste or harissa (if using). Stir to combine, taste and adjust the salt to your liking. (I usually end up adding another ½ teaspoon or so.) Remove from the heat and serve.

Notes The most flavourful part of preserved citrus is the rind. What I generally do at home is pick a variety of lemon with a thick rind, and once it has been preserved and is ready for consumption, I discard the flesh and seeds, grind the rind in a food processor, and store in ice cube trays in the freezer.

An alternative to oven-drying the chilies is to grind them fresh, mix with the salt, and cook on the stovetop over low heat, maintaining a very gentle simmer and stirring periodically, until much of the water has evaporated. Exact time will vary, but somewhere between 20-60 minutes, depending on the chilli variety and its liquid content. It should have the consistency of runny jam or thick tomato sauce when warm, and it will thicken more when cooled. Cool completely before storing in a sterilised jar

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