Red lentil and carrots soup with radicchio / Gusta juha od crvene leće i mrkve sa crvenim radičem

This recipe for red lentil soup is quite easy to prepare and you can add some other ingredient in the end, like a spoon of creme fraiche. 

Ingredients for 2

1onion 
2tbsp olive oil
1cup red lentils, rinsed
1 carrot
water, or vegetable/meat stock
1/2 bulb radicchio Treviso, sliced
aceto balsamico
extra virgin olive oil
thyme
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Slice the onion, preheat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a sauce pan and saute' for about 5 minutes, until it softens.Rinse red lentils until the water is completely clean. Grate the carrot. Add the lentils and grated carrot and saute for couple of minutes. Cover with water/stock and cook for about 15 minutes, until the red lentils are cooked. Mix all with a hand mixer into a silky cream.
In the meantime, preheat the olive oil, add slices of radicchio, some salt and thyme and saute' for about 10 minutes. At the end of cooking add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, or balsamic cream, it will sweeten the bitterness of radicchio.
Serve this creamy soup with radicchio above, and sprinkle with some extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Recept na hrvatskom 

Sastojci za 2 osobe

1 luk
maslinovo ulje
1 šalica crvene leće
1 mrkva
voda ili povrtni/mesni temeljac
1/2 glavice crvenog radiča, Treviso
ekstra djevičansko maslinovo ulje
aceto balsamico
sušeni timijan
sol i svježe mljeveni crni papar

Zagrijte u odgovarajućoj posudi 2 žlice maslinovog ulja, pa dodajte luk narezan na sitno i malo soli. Pirjajte oko 5 minuta dok malo ne omekša. Crvenu leću isperite u nekoliko navrata u vodi, dok voda ne bude čista. Ocijedite leću pa ju zajedno sa naribanom mrkvom dodajte pirjanom luku. Sve zajedno još kratko pirjajte, pa ulijte vode ili temeljca toliko da prekrije sve sastojke. Kuhajte oko 15 minuta dok leća skroz ne omekša pa na kraju izmiksajte sa štapnim mikserom u kremu.
U međuvremenu pripremite crveni radič. Narežite ga na trakice, zagrijte maslinovo ulje u tavi, oko 2 žlice, pa dodajte radič i sušeni timijan te pirjajte oko 10 minuta. Na kraju dodajte žlicu gustog ili običnog balzamičnog octa koji će ublažiti gorčinu crvenog radiča.
Juhu servirajte sa pirjanim crvenim radičem, malo maslinovog ulja i par kapi balzamičnog octa.