The Food Dolls are social media sensations with 8 million fans across all platforms.  Alia and Radwa Elkaffas are sisters from Minneapolis who offer a unique blend of Middle Eastern flavors with Midwest sensibility.

They join us with a recipe from their new cookbook, Pretty Delicious, for spiced red lentil soup.

Click here to pre-order Pretty Delicious: Simple, Modern Mediterranean, Served with Style: A Cookbook out on February 25^th, 2025. 

SERVES 4 TO 6
Soup:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 medium shallots, roughly chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, peeled but whole
2 cups red lentils, drained and thoroughly rinsed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
For serving:
Lemon wedges
Extra-virgin
olive oil
Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
Fresh cilantro leaves
Homemade Pita Chips, crushed
MAKE THE SOUP: In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
When the butter foams, add the carrot, shallots, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots
are lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the lentils, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, just until the mixture is
fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 8 cups water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to
medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom, until the
lentils break down, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and/or pepper, if needed. Remove
the pot from the heat.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired texture. (Some people like theirs silky
smooth; others like it a little chunky.) Alternatively, you could carefully transfer the soup in batches to a
stand blender and blend to your desired consistency. Remove the steam vent plug from the blender lid and cover with a thick kitchen towel to prevent any splatter and hold the lid in place while allowing some
steam to escape.

TO SERVE: Ladle into bowls and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of
Aleppo, cilantro, and some crushed pita chips. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the
freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat the soup, adjusting the seasoning as needed. The soup can thicken as it
sits and cools, so you may also want to add a splash of water or stock to loosen it up.