Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped or pressed
2 T olive oil or 1 T oil and 1 T butter (I use all olive oil)
1/2 pound red lentils
1.5 liters chicken broth (I use chicken bouillon cubes and water)
1 bay leaf
juice of half a lemon (I rarely use lemons and use the juice of 1.5-2 small limes)
salt and pepper (to taste; this depends on what you use for liquid; bouillon has lots of salt, canned broth can also.)
1 t Turkish pul biber (Turkish chile pepper, also called aleppo pepper)
Optional: grilled lamb, cubed
Preparation
Heat the oil and fry the pepper and garlic over medium heat for two minutes, stirring so that nothing burns. Add all other ingredients, bring the soup to a boil, turn the heat way down and let it cook for about 35-40 minutes, until the lentils have disintegrated and turned into a kind of mush. Take out the bay leaf. Puree the whole thing in a blender or with a hand mixer. Correct for more salt if you need it.
