Lentil Tomato Soup with Stuffed Peperoncini

Ingredients

• 1 red chili pepper
• 2 red onions
• 1 Garlic clove
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 0.5 tsp Ras el-Hanout
• 1 pinch sugar
• 200 g red lentils
• 1–2 tsp Ajvar (depending on heat and preference)
• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 8 tomatoes
• 1 bunch coriander leaves
• 200 g baby spinach
• Salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 80 g feta cheese
• 1 tsp heavy cream
• 5–6 green olives (pitted)
• 8 pickled peperoncini

Instructions

1. 1.

   For the soup, halve the chili pepper, remove seeds and slice into thin strips. Peel onions and garlic and finely dice them. Heat oil in a pot and sauté chili, onion, and garlic on medium heat until translucent. Add Ras el-Hanout and cook briefly. Sprinkle sugar over it and let caramelize slightly.

2. 2.

   Rinse lentils under cold water, drain, and add to the pot. Stir in Ajvar, pour in broth, cover, and simmer on medium for 15–20 minutes.

3. 3.

   Meanwhile, mash feta cheese with a fork and mix in heavy cream. Finely chop olives and combine with the feta mixture. Drain peperoncini, trim stems, hollow out shells, and fill with the cheese filling.

4. 4.

   Peel tomatoes as desired: score the underside in a cross pattern, blanch in boiling water for 1 minute, cool, then peel. Quarter, seed, and dice finely or finely chop whole if preferred. Chop coriander leaves.

5. 5.

   Toss spinach to remove stems, cut into rough strips. Reserve some strips and tomato cubes for garnish; fold the rest into the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

6. 6.

   Serve soup in bowls or shallow plates, sprinkle reserved spinach strips and tomato cubes on top, garnish with coriander leaves, and add stuffed peperoncini on the side.