Black lentil, wild rice and roasted bell pepper soup

This is a boldly fragrant and well-balanced soup, due to the freshness and acidity of lemon. Brown lentils are a wonderful substitute, if black ones are unavailable.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 onions, diced
- 4 West-Indian bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp cumin, ground
- 2 Tbsp Isot Kurdish pepper
- 3 cups black lentils
- 1½ cups wild rice
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4½ cups water
- 6 cups diced carrots
- 4 red Bell peppers, roasted and slivered
- Lemon, zest and juice
- Cilantro or parsley
Method
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1
Sauté onions and bay leaves in olive oil, in a large casserole on medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until onions become translucid.
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2
Add cumin and Isot pepper to the casserole and cook one minute more while mixing.
Add lentils, wild rice, salt, pepper and water, mix well.
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3
Cook on medium heat for about 1h30, until lentils are cooked.
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4
Add diced carrots and continue cooking another 45 minutes. Check the amount of water during the process and add more, if necessary.
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5
Pour 1 liter of soup into a blender and reduce to a purée, return the purée to the soup in the casserole.
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6
Add roasted Bell peppers, zest and lemon juice to soup. Mix.
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7
Garnish bowls with cilantro leaves or parsley.