this is the kind of soul food that i like to eat on chilly days

for 4
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 minced onion
2-3 minced garlic
1 1/2 coffee spoons of tomato puree
1 1/2 coffee spoons of ground cumin
2 coffee spoons of sweet pepper
1/2 coffee spoon of ground cloves
1 leave laurel
1 liter of vegetable broth
800 gr. canned tomatoes
40 gr. of cilantro
400 gr. brown lentils
a pinch of dried maroccan mint
cook the lentils as written on the package. fry the onion and the garlic in olive oil and caramelize them until they are soft. add the cumin, the sweet pepper, the cloves, the laurel, the tomato puree as well as the broth, the tomatoes, and the lentils. stir until it is nicely mixed. after the soup has cooked, reduce the temperature and let it simmer for half an hour. serve the soup on preheated plates with little cilantro and a pinch of maroccan mint.