Moroccan Spiced Butternut & Red Lentil Soup

I would like to quote a good friend who, after eating this soup on my birthday, said, "I must, have to, can't do without the Moroccan stew recipe. I ate it and it took me back some place that I can't remember where... but it was so good I need another fix already."

Thanks for the compliment AG! I have to admit, I thought it was pretty good too.

Ingredients:

One large butternut squash

Moroccan spice blend

1 1/2 cups red lentils

3 leeks

3 cubes of Rapunzel vegan vegetable bouillon with sea salt & herbs

a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated (chopped fresh lemongrass is also nice if you can find it)

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 cups of diced tomato

1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Juice from 1-2 lemons

Moroccan Spices:

This is basically the same as the Ras-El-Hanout blend on Epicurious.com, with a few minor changes. Whisk together spices that are already ground, or use whole and grind in a clean coffee grinder or spice grinder. Keep in mind that you may need less of the spice blend if the spices are freshly ground.

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon fenugreek

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cloves

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, seed & cut the butternut squash into cubes and place on a baking sheet. Toss with some oil and sprinkle some of the Moroccan spices over the cubes and roast in the oven until the tips begin to turn dark brown.

Meanwhile, trim the green parts from the leeks and chop the tender white parts. Place in a large soup pot with some oil. Cook on medium-high heat until tender. Add the garlic, ginger, stock cubes, lentils, and 2 tablespoons of the spice blend. Stir until combined, then add 8-10 cups of water. Stir occasionally. Allow to boil a few minutes, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are very tender. When the lentils are cooked completely, add the cooked butternut squash. Remove from heat and let cool enough to puree safely, either with an immersion blender or standard blender. Puree the soup until smooth.

Return the soup to the heat & warm through. Stir in the diced tomato, chopped cilantro and lemon juice. Add water if too thick. Season with more salt or spices to taste.