Moroccan Spiced Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

Today is all about this soup... because yesterday, this happened.




Moroccan Spiced Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup
adapted from here
Serves 4

For the Soup:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 leeks, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
800g sweet potato, chopped (I don't peel mine, but you can if you want to)
100g red lentils
4 cups vegetable stock
2 teaspoons Harissa
1 teaspoon Ras el Hanout
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus extra to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the toppings:
Nigella seeds
Lemon halves
Buttermilk

Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and a good, fat pinch of salt. Cook the leeks, stirring occasionally, until wilted. Add the garlic and sweet potato chunks and cook until starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Give them a stir every now and again to stop them of catching on the pan.

Add the rest of the ingredient (except the toppings), bring to boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, until everything is tender.

Take about half of the mixture out of the pan, put it in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add the puree back to the pan. You should have a thick soup with some texture. Check seasoning and adjust to taste.

Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with nigella seeds, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of buttermilk.