Persian Style Tomato and Lentil Soup

From Washington Post 2/9/22

This was very good - but only followed the recipe loosely, so I'll give the ingredients as close to what I remember as I can.  I didn't notice the cinnamon - that would be interesting.  I'll add it to tomorrow's bowl.  

The lentils and farro combine for a hearty texture.  Can definitely be a meal with a salad.  I didn't have dried mint, so I added some mint chutney at the end, which gave it a kick.  But mint and cinnamon are enticing.  

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium / large onion, diced

2 small carrots peeled and diced

~ 1/4 of a green cabbage, sliced (~2" strips)

3/4 cup green or brown lentils

1/2 cup dry farro, cooked (instead of basmati rice; probably could put in raw as rice was supposed to)

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1+  tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp dried mint leaves (would have used if I had)

1/2 tsp fine salt plus more as needed

1/4 tsp ground black pepper - plus some

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, divided

1/2 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped, divided and more for serving

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus more to taste.

Directions:

1) in a large pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium high heat until it shimmers.  Add the onion and carrots and stir occasionally until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes; during this time add the cabbage.

2) Stir in the lentils and rice ( farro) coating them in the oil.  Add the tomato paste, cumin, coriander, dried mint, salt, pepper and cinnamon.  Add about 2 cups of the broth and stir to dissolve the tomato paste and evenly disperse the spices.  

3) Add the remaining stock, stir well, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.  Decrease the Heat to medium low, stir, cover and simmer until the rice / farro and lentils are cooked through, 20-25 minutes.  If the soup thickens more than you'd like, add water, 1/4 cup at a time.  Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.

4) Stir in about 3/4 of the parsley and remove from the heat.  Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice.  

5) Divide the soup month bowls, top with the remaining parsley and serve hot.