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1
In a large saucepan cook the bacon over medium heat until it has rendered most of its fat, 4 to 5 minutes.
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2
Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until vegetables are softened, about 4 to 6 minutes.
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3
Add garlic, cumin, chopped ginger, salt and cayenne pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
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4
Add the lentils and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
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5
Use a spoon to skim any foam from the top of the soup, cover the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are very tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
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6
While the soup is cooking, make the Curry Crema by combining the creme fraiche and the curry powder in a small bowl and set aside.
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7
When the lentils are very tender, use a slotted spoon to remove approximately 1/2 cup of the lentils for the crackers and set aside to cool.
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8
Puree the soup using a hand-held immersion blender until smooth.
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9
(Alternately, puree the soup in batches in a blender after it has cooled slightly.)
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10
Add water if necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
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11
Add the lime juice and parsley, stir to combine, and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
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12
Remove 1/4 cup of the pureed soup and set aside to use for the lentil crackers.
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13
Keep the soup warm while you make the lentil crackers.
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14
Make the lentil crackers.
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15
Serve garnished with a rounded tablespoon of Curry Crema, drizzle with Parsley Oil, and Fried Carrots.
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16
Serve the lentil crackers on the side.
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17
Place the reserved lentils and reserved lentil soup in a food processor and process to a chunky puree.
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18
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add 1/2 cup of the flour.
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19
Mix with your hands or a wooden spoon until a dough is formed.
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20
While continuing to mix, add the remaining 1/4 cup of flour 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is moist and malleable but not at all sticky.
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21
The dough should resemble clay.
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22
Roll the dough into a disk shape, cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
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23
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
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24
Remove the dough from the freezer and cut the dough into 6 equal portions.
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25
Using your hands, flatten each portion of dough to a thickness of 1/4-inch and lightly coat each portion with flour.
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26
Pass each portion of the dough through a pasta roller set on the #2 setting.
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27
Change the pasta roller setting to #4 and pass each portion of dough through the pasta roller.
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28
You should now have very thin long strips of dough, approximately 14 to 16 inches long and about 2 1/2 to 3 inches wide.
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29
Place each strip of rolled out dough (diagonally) onto a parchment lined baking sheet and, using a pastry brush, brush the strips lightly with some of the extra virgin olive oil.
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30
Sprinkle the strips with some of the kosher salt.
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31
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, turning the sheet pan after 10 minutes, until the crackers are dry and brittle.
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32
Yield: 6 (14 to 16-inch long) lentil crackers, break into desired lengths
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33
*Note: These crackers will lose their crispiness quickly.
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34
If you do not need or want to make this many crackers at once, this dough freezes exceptionally well.
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35
In a food processor, add parsley, garlic, olive oil, and lime juice and puree until smooth.
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36
Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
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37
Preheat a fryer to 350 degrees F. Cut the carrots into long, thin strands on a turning slicer.
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38
Alternately, cut the carrots into a julienne on a mandoline.
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39
In a large bowl, toss the carrots with flour, salt and pepper, just to coat the carrots with flour.
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40
Shake the carrots, to remove excess flour.
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41
Place in the fryer and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes.
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42
Remove from the oil, place on a paper towel-lined plate, and season, to taste, with salt.
