Spicy Lentil-Ginger Soup

We used to make lunch every Monday at Winnipeg Harvest, the local warehouse-depot for all the foodbanks and soup kitchens in Winnipeg. Basically, we'd roam the warehouse and the cooler and make lunch for about 50 people with whatever we found there--in about 1 1/2 hours.

This is a recipe we created on a day when there wasn't a lot of fresh vegetables at our disposal. The results were pretty darn good. Of course the ginger and the coconut milk keep this soup from being locally produced out here in Manitoba, but I'd say it's still about 95% local.

Spicy Lentil-Ginger Soup

½ package red lentils
1 large onion
½ bunch celery
2 cloves garlic
4 tbsp. grated ginger
2 tsp. red hot pepper flakes
½ can coconut milk
½ cup barley
8 cups boiling water

Pour boiling water over lentils and soak. In Dutch oven, sauté onions, celery, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes until softened-about 5 minutes.

Discard water from lentils and then add the lentils, 8 cups water to the sautéed vegetables. Let simmer until lentils get mushy and vegetables are cooked. Add coconut milk.

Serves 10-12 people.

Salt and pepper to taste.