Ingredients

2 Cups Lentils, brown, dried
6 Cups (1-1/2 Qt.) Water

Add to blender container:
1 Lemon, whole, seeded
1 Carrot, large
1 Celery Rib, large
I Onion, small
2 or 3 Parsley Sprigs
� Tsp. Rosemary, dried
2 Cups Water (divided)

1 Cup Apricots, dried, chopped
2 Potatoes, large, chopped
2 Onions, medium, diced
Cayenne Pepper or Hot Red Pepper Sauce, to taste
(To enlarge the photo of the Byzantine lentil apricot soup, click on the photo or link)

Preparation

A 4 or 6-� quart crock-pot (slow cooker) may be used for this recipe. You may want to halve the recipe for a smaller pot.

This soup may be started the night before or early in the morning, since lentils do not take as long to soften as dried beans.

If cooking in a crock-pot overnight, add washed lentils and pre-heated (in a microwave oven or on stovetop) hot water. Cover and set at low heat.

Next morning, turn crock-pot to high setting.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel off the yellow outer skin of the lemon, cut, and remove seeds. (If lemon is organically grown, you may use peel.) Place in blender with a washed and peeled carrot, celery, small onion, and parsley. Add dried rosemary and one cup water. Blenderize at high speed. Pour into glass pot. Rinse out blender with one more cup of water and add to glass pot. Heat in microwave oven or stovetop before adding to lentils in crock-pot.

Add to crock-pot the dried apricots and the washed, cut potatoes and onions. Hot red pepper sauce may be added, if desired.

Continue cooking at high heat setting until potatoes, onions, and lentils are soft.

Serve with a large tossed salad and enjoy!