Recipe: Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)

Tasked with preparing dinner from a nearly empty fridge, it seemed a good time to try the Greek lentil soup recipe I had bookmarked on Allrecipes.com. Diana Moutsopoulos, the recipe contributor, writes that fakes (pronounced "fah-kehs") is a filling meal and a staple in the Greek kitchen, traditionally served drizzled with olive oil and red wine vinegar.

It seemed like a good dinner for a chilly day and fortunately I had all of the staples on hand. It contains lentils, one of my favourite legumes, which are high in protein and fibre. I prepared the recipe as written below, substituting a can of diced tomatoes for tomato paste. The recipe make a large pot, which I'm looking forward to eating all week long.

Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)

(based on: Diana Moutsopoulos' recipe)

• olive oil
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 6 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 3 carrots (sliced)
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 2 cups lentils
• 1 L water
• vinegar (I used balsamic; to taste)
• salt, black pepper (to taste)
• pinch of oregano, pinch of rosemary, 2 bay leaves

some of the staple ingredients

1. Wash lentils and put in a saucepan, covered by an inch of water. Boil, then turn down to simmer. Cook until lentils have softened, adding more water if necessary.
2. In a large soup pot, fry the onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Add 1 L of water, carrots, tomatoes, and lentils when ready, all the while simmering. Season with vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, and bay leaves.

Hope you enjoy this hearty and healthy soup!