Witch Food: Lentil & Parsnip Soup

I'm not wishing to imply there is anything particularly distinctive about witches' food. Although obviously there will be, depending on the individual witch. I'm not vegetarian myself, but I was during some of the formative years of my life, so that as a result I eat meat but don't tend to cook a lot of it. I will often make a point of not eating meat before a magical working, but not eating meat wouldn't be out of the ordinary for me. Otherwise my tastes in food tend to be marked by my 1970s upbringing & the multicultural environment in which I've lived most of my life. While I call my cooking 'hippy food', it isn't really - it's nutritious but I'm not sold on organic or whatever. This recipe uses a staple ingredient for me: the mighty lentil.
Red Lentil, Parsnip, and Meyer Lemon Soup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
1 yellow onion, diced
2 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
3 small parsnips, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 cup red lentils
1 quart stock - any kind. I used turkey
2 cups water
Juice from 1/2 Meyer lemon, plus more to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus sprigs for garnish
ground chili, cayenne, or paprika to taste
1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onions and sauté until translucent, five minutes. Stir in garlic and continue cooking another two minutes. Stir in tomato paste, ground cumin, and kosher salt and continue cooking until tomato paste begins to brown, another two minutes.
2. Add parsnips, celery, and lentils then stir in stock and water and bring to a simmer. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
3. With an immersion blender, puree soup until smooth (or to desired consistency, chunky is nice too). Alternatively, puree soup in a blender or food processor, working in batches.
4. Stir in juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon, and adjust seasoning to taste, adding more lemon if desired. Stir in cilantro.
5. Ladle soup into individual bowls and finish each with a generous drizzle of olive oil, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a sprinkle of salt and chili or paprika.
(Credit: http://www.melissaclark.net/blog/2012/01/sunday-sou.html)
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