Apricot Red Lentil Soup

Seriously. I had never heard of this before.  Apricots, in my red lentil soup?  Yuh huh.  Loved it. I have seen many recipes on line for this but none of them with the amount of apricots that I am going to tell you to use. Your choice- but it was fruity and homey at the same time.

Apparently this soup is Armenian.  I do know apricots are a large part of certain Middle Eastern cuisines.  So I understand its origins.  I have made stuffed grape leaves with apricots and that was totally delicious as well.

Armenian Red Lentil Soup with Apricots


2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1 1/2 cups red lentils
5 cups chicken stock
3 plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped or a 1/2 cup canned tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Saute onion, garlic and apricots in olive oil.  Add lentils and stock.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer about 30 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and season with cumin salt and pepper.  Simmer for ten minutes more.  Stir in lemon juice and blend 1/2 of soup in blender or use an immersion blender.