Hearty tomato-lentil soup is warm, tangy and filled with Persian flavors

In 1983, a restaurant named Reza's opened on the corner of Berwyn Avenue and Clark Street in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. Marked by a simple sign and glass-fronted doors, it was small, with barely enough room for six tables. But it quickly became a hub for Iranian immigrants in the Windy City.

The Iranians who gathered there were looking, more or less, for the same things: Community and Persian flavors - floral, saffron-scented basmati rice, creamy soups, thick stews and tender, braised meats. These were the tense, unsettling years following the 1979 Iranian Revolution and Iran hostage crisis.

My mother and aunt, who were born in Iran but settled in Chicago after the revolution, found Reza's in its early days. It quickly became a home away from home for them and the families they established in Chicago.

It's not too much of a stretch to say that I grew up within the Chicago common brick walls of Reza's dining room. In the mid-1980s, the restaurant expanded from its original cramped footprint to an expansive set of rooms, eventually with a capacity to seat 200 guests or more.

This might be hard to believe, but I was a picky eater as a kid. My mother tells me that when I was 5 or 6, I wanted to eat nothing except the appetizer that Reza's served free with every entree order: A chunky lentil soup with a tomato base, thick with rice and finished with lemon juice and lots of chopped parsley.

After we ordered our main courses - long skewers of grilled meat or chicken, lamb shanks braised with onions and tomatoes, fesenjan or ghormeh sabzi - the servers would parade out of the kitchen with bowls of the soup, baskets of warm pita, and plates of feta and herb sprigs (naan-o paneer-o sabzi). It's rare for a formal Iranian meal to exclude this combination of warm bread, cheese and herbs. But Reza's added the soup.

I had my own little ritual around it. I'd crumble bits of feta and bread into it, letting the cheese almost poach into creamy dumplings in the hot soup, while the bread thickened it into a porridge. When family members pushed their soup bowls away, to save room for their main courses, I asked for their uneaten bowls.

At one point my mom asked the manager at Reza's if they'd share the recipe, but they always refused, saying it belonged to Reza's mother, and was a family secret.

As an adult, I've re-created it from taste memory. It's a bowl of tangy warmth, with soft lentils and rice suspended in a ruddy broth flavored with onions, cumin, cinnamon and parsley. For the full experience, serve it with warm pita, feta and fresh herbs to nibble on between spoonfuls.

PERSIAN-STYLE TOMATO AND LENTIL SOUP

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
SERVINGS 4 to 6 (Makes about 7 cups of soup)
Storage Notes: Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Inspired by soup served at Reza's Restaurant in Chicago, this recipe highlights lentils, which figure prominently in Iranian cuisine. Here, they're simmered in a tomato-based broth with basmati rice, sweet onions and lots of warming spices. The key to this version's flavor is a generous amount of chopped parsley and lemon juice, added just before serving.

I wouldn't skip the onion here, as it adds a subtle sweetness >> but you could substitute garlic or leeks if that was all you had.

Green or brown lentils are ideal >> though yellow or red split peas would work, too.

If you're out of basmati >> you can use another kind of long-grain rice, or more lentils instead.

No tomato paste? >> Use a 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, and reduce the broth to 4 cups. The soup will be less tomato-y, but will still work.

If you dislike parsley >> try basil, or a mix of tender herbs.

Serve soup with warm pita, hunks of feta and plenty of fresh, tender herbs.

• 3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion (8 ounces), diced

• 3/4 cup (5 ounces) green or brown lentils

• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) uncooked basmati rice

• 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon dried mint leaves (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable, divided

• 1/2 bunch (2 ounces) fresh parsley, preferably curly, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped and divided, plus more for serving

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons), plus more to taste

• Fresh herbs, such as parsley, scallions, tarragon, dill, for serving, as desired (optional)

• 6 ounces feta, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large Dutch oven or pot with a lid, heat the ghee or oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion, and stir occasionally until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the lentils and rice, coating them in the fat. Add the tomato paste, cumin, dried mint, if using, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Add about 2 cups of the stock, and stir to dissolve the tomato paste and evenly disperse the spices. Add the remaining stock, stir well, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium-low, stir, cover and simmer until the rice and lentil are cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. (If soup thickens more than you'd like, add water, 1/4 cup at a time.) Taste, and adjust the seasonings, if needed.

Stir in about three-quarters of the parsley and remove from the heat. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Divide the soup among bowls, top with the remaining parsley and serve hot.

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