Pomegranate Soup for Cook the Books

The selection at Cook the Books club for February/March is Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran.
Three sisters from Iran end up in County Mayo, Ireland, hoping for a better life. The Aminpour sisters open a cafe and cook the delectable dishes from their homeland. It’s a small Irish village and while some of the townsfolk want to try a more exotic cuisine, there are those who shun the women and cafe simply because they are from Iran. You could substitute any middle eastern family trying to run a cafe in any small town, in Ireland or the U.S. for this plot.




The setting for this book was Ireland and Iran. The plot plays out predictably with the women and their Irish neighbors, the cultural differences accepted. Well, by most people. Definitely a foodie book with over a dozen recipes included throughout.

There were so many interesting dishes served up in this book but the recipe for lentil soup grabbed me right away. I had been wanting to make red lentil soup for a long time.

Red Lentil Soup

(adapted from the book)

2 TB butter

2 TB olive oil

2 medium onions, diced

2 leeks, medium diced

4 stalks celery, medium diced 

2 large garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 cups red lentils

Chopped tomatoes 

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

5 cups chicken broth, (I think I used more)

Salt and pepper

Parsley 

Sauté the onions, leeks, garlic and celery in the olive oil and butter. Add  the lentils and broth  and simmer for 40 minutes. At that point I tossed in some chopped tomatoes. Add any seasoning then Parmesan cheese, before serving sprinkle with parsley.

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 Cook the Books Club

Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for Souper Sundays