Lentil And Brown Rice Soup

While the list of ingredients looks a bit long, this is not a difficult dish to make and the results are really great. Outside of taking three sauce pans it really is easy. It started out several different places all of which were not very good. After much sitting and thinking about it, the following plan came about and it tasted so good I ate it all one evening. It has a middle-eastern or Moroccan flavor but is not really spicy; a hearty and healthy soup for the cold winter days.
 
INGREDIENTS
½   cup brown rice
1    cup beef broth
1    cup water
½   teaspoon salt
 
¾   cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
1    cup red wine
1    cup water
1    teaspoon ground cumin

½   cup carrots diced to ½ inch

½   cup celery diced to ½ inch
1    small Yukon Gold potato diced to ½ inch
1    small white onion, chopped
1    cup chicken broth
1    cup beef broth
1    cup water
1    teaspoon each paprika, cumin, cardamom, turmeric and coriander
1    preserved lemon*, seeded, chopped, or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1    pinch red pepper flakes
2    bay leaves

METHOD

In a small sauce pan, place the rice, broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 40 to 45 minutes until the rice is tender. If the liquid level gets low, add water ¼ cup at a time.

In another sauce pan, add the lentils, red wine, water and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils are tender. If the liquid level gets low, add water ¼ cup at a time.

In a large saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bay leaves and place the soup into a blender or food processor and blend to a puree. Rinse out the sauce pan and return the puree to it. When the rice and lentils are cooked, add to this sauce pan and reheat.

*NOTE: See the information about Moroccan Lemons in this blog