Red Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes

Peel and finely dice the shallots. Peel the garlic and slice it thinly. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into cubes of approx. 1 cm.

Heat 40 ml of olive oil in a pot over medium heat and sauté the shallots until translucent. Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, chili flakes, and garlic, and fry for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Deglaze with red wine vinegar, add thyme and lemon zest, and let the liquid reduce almost completely.

Add the sweet potato cubes and sauté briefly. Add the chopped tomatoes and 700 ml of boiling water, and let everything simmer for about 7 minutes. Then add the red lentils and cook over medium heat until soft.