Five-Alarm Lentil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3/4 cup chili-garlic sauce, Sriracha recommended
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (I used diced)
1 lb red lentil
8 cups vegetable stock
salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
sour cream, for garnish
chopped fresh cilantro or chopped chives, for garnish
chili-garlic sauce, for garnish

Preparation

.Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute until they begin to soften, 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin, bay leaves, tomato paste and sriracha, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until aromatic. (You might want to start with a lesser amount of the sriracha - it is powerful stuff).
Add the tomatoes and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
Pour in the lentils and stock, stirring to combine. Bring to boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the lentils are softened and cooked through.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, and discard the bay leaves. (I did not feel it needed either salt or pepper).
Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired. (I particularly like a dollop of sour cream).