I'd say "nothing" right away. After six months of freezing I'm anxious to feel my blood warming up and I don't mean red wine but sun! Had to spent the entire morning outside and the wind was so terribly unpleasant and sneaky! Also, such weather always changes my cooking plans. There is no way I would serve green salad and a light appetizer while my bones squeak with each move. I need something hearty and homey but it also reminds me of the late autumn again. Because it means a soup. Although I love soups and cook them often, during a warm spring I would cook green soups or cold soups. Today is not the day though.
I'm making lentils soup. We all love lentils at home and besides being tasty, they are very healthy too. I use only green lentils (those that look green-brownish) as that's the sort I know since I was a kid. I've tried this lentils soup with other types of lentils but the taste is different and I don't recommend changing them. Here is the original recipe which is Bulgarian:
Lentils soup
1 pack of green lentils (what I buy weighs 500 grams)
two-three cloves of garlic
one average to big carrot
1 tablespoon dry celery or 2 tablespoons ground fresh celery
salt, paprika, summer savoury
sunflower oil (or another you like, just avoid oil with strong aroma)
In a big pot, which you use for soups, heat the oil (usually 4-5 tablespoons) and put the finely cut garlic, the celery and the sliced carrot in it. Cover with a lid and let them soften but be careful for the garlic to not turn brown. Don't fry. Add the lentils. Immediately pour water - 2/3 of the pot should be full. Let it boil. When the lentils have absorbed half of the water, add the paprika, stir well. Then add salt and savoury. Cover with lid and let it boil with the herbs until the soup thickens. Keep in mind that this is a thick hearty soup, not much water will be left. If you prefer lighter version, add some tomato puree or mashed tomatoes together with the herbs.
This, of course, is a year round soup. However, I have my own spring variation. I add zucchini cut into cubes when the water starts boiling. Only after that I add the herbs. Zucchini make the soup lighter and refreshing. Also, in the spring version I don't use savoury. Instead, I put fresh parsley 2-3 minutes before I remove it from the heat. It adds another fresh nuance to the whole.
Enjoy and let me know how it was or if you had any problems!
