• In a heavy soup pot, add the olive oil, raise the heat to medium. Add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes until softened, but not colored.

  Add the butternut squash, carrots and leeks, give a stir and cook for 3 minutes. Add the Baharat Seasonings and stir for 1 minute to incorporate the flavors.
• Add the lentils, broth and pear. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover the soup. Cook for 20 minutes, until the lentils have softened, and the vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Add the meyer lemon juice, meyer lemon rind and salt (will depend on the saltiness of your broth), stir well.
• Cool slightly, and whirl 1/3 of the soup in a blender until smooth. Add to the pot and stir well. I like the soup with a creamy base, but with a lot of texture. Taste for salt.

Garnish Option:

• I quickly make a Raw Gremolata. In a small bowl mix together: 2 T. extra virgin olive oil, 1t. grated lemon rind, 1 T. lemon juice, 3 T. chopped parsley, a pinch hot pepper flakes, 1 t. minced onion and a pinch of sea salt.

To Serve:

• Ladle the warm soup into individual bowls. Swirl a teaspoon of Gremolata on top of the soup, garnish with a parsley sprig. Enjoy!
• *Baharat Seasoning - Middle Eastern Spice: A wonderful pungent blend of pepper, paprika, ground cloves, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, coriander and chiles. Can find online, at gourmet markets or at good specialty spice shops. Alternately, (if you can not find the seasoning- use a handful of the spices on the list to create a great flavor.)