“Fakes” recipe: traditional Greek lentil soup

This lentil soup is a very tasty vegetarian dish, and it is an excellent source of protein and fiber. Greek-style lentil soup (or “fakes” in Greek) is served with vegetables and seasoned mainly with cumin and vinegar, which gives a unique character to this dish.

About this Greek lentil soup (fakes soupa):

Unlike the Turkish lentil soup “Ezogelin” (which is prepared with a red variety), this Greek-style lentil soup is prepared with brown or “pardina” variety, which requires longer cooking time. The same variety is used for the famous lentil stew with chorizo, as popular in Spain as in South America. However, that recipe highlights the combination of lentils with paprika, while this Greek recipe opts for cumin and vinegar. Both possibilities are perfect combinations when preparing lentils.

Soup or stew? We can regulate the amount of water or broth that we add to this recipe, to obtain a decidedly soup, or, serve a spoon dish close to a stew if we reduce the amount of liquid. The flavor will always be excellent, it’s just a matter of preference.

The recipe for Greek-style lentil soup:

Heat a little olive oil in a pot. Chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and sauté everything over low heat. Rinse the lentils and then add them to the pot along with the crushed tomato and bay leaf. Season with cumin and optionally with chili. Add vegetable broth (or water if not available), cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Before serving, season with salt and pepper, add a spoonful of vinegar and season to taste with extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with a little chopped parsley and enjoy.

Tips and tricks:

1. It is absolutely vital to salt the lentils only at the end of cooking; if you do so at the beginning, the legumes will not be tender, no matter how long they are boiled.