I’ve posted this recipe in these pages once before, but it’s so unusual and delicious that it’s definitely worth repeating. Plus I have a lot of collards in the fridge at the moment. I love how the aromatics supplied by the cumin and cinnamon and lemon in this soup yield a result whose flavors are so different from the spice combinations I normally tend to reach for.

I currently have two huge bunches of collard greens, and they are just aching to be made into this warm, aromatic soup. I’ve gathered up all the ingredients and have started chopping.

This recipe is very forgiving. For example, I once discovered, after having rinsed and chopped all the greens, that, for the first time in probably decades, we were completely out of onions. So I did the only thing I could think of, which was to increase the garlic to 10 cloves. Or maybe 15. There were a lot.

And even still it came out great, so there you are. As I said, this recipe is very forgiving. The last time I made it I decided to try adding a heaping tablespoon of kasha (buckwheat groats), which imparted a yummy nutty flavor to the soup. Other times I have chopped up a couple of end-of-season tomatoes and tossed those in.

If you double the recipe, which I have also done on occasion, be forewarned that it turns into a lot of soup. In the past, when I have done this, we have eaten it for a long time, and given away a lot to friends, with plenty more where that came from.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped roughly
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed and drained
6 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch collard greens – rinsed, stemmed, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 cup lemon juice (from 2-3 lemons approx)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir in onion and salt, and cook 4 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in lentils, and cook for 1 minute.

Add stock, bring to a boil over high heat, lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes until lentils are tender.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cumin, cinnamon, and garlic, and stir for 30 seconds. Add collard greens to skillet, and cook 10 minutes until wilted. Stir greens into the soup, simmer 15-20 minutes more, stir in lemon juice, and serve.

Bon appetit!