Spanish lentil and spinach soup

Finely chop one small onion, roughly chop four cloves of garlic, thinly slice one celery stick, cut one peeled carrot into small bite-sized pieces and thinly slice one leek into half moons.

Rinse 200 grams of green lentils in a fine sieve under water. Unlike other dried beans they need no overnight soak.

Heat a stock pot over medium heat with 35 ml of extra virgin olive oil.

After a couple of minutes add all the chopped vegetables and mix so they are coated in the oil; keep mixing so everything sautes evenly, three to four minutes until lightly sauteed.

Add 15 ml of sherry vinegar.

Add the smoked paprika and the dried thyme and mix until well combined.

Add the lentils and 1200 ml of vegetable broth, turn up to high heat and mix gently.

Once it comes to a boil, lid on, lower to low heat and simmer about 20 minutes, until the lentils are just cooked through and soft. Overboiling splits them open.

Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and mix gently. Season dried beans after cooking, not before, or they take longer to cook and end up tough.

Add the chopped spinach and mix gently until lightly wilted, about 20 to 30 seconds. Take the pot off the heat and serve.