October 21, 2009

Fakes - Greek Lentil Soup



Fakes.  You see, when a man loves a woman...

Let’s just get this out of the way now: Yes, it really is pronounced just the way you were(n’t) hoping: fah-keez.

I’ve adapted this from Peter’s excellent blog on Greek cooking, Kalofagas (formerly at Blogger, now cut free, free!). His spice proportions are excellent, but like always I effectively doubled them by using half the amount of lentils and approximately half the volume of liquid. I also made it daal-like by frying the partial hell outta those spices and veggies before throwing them in there. I’ll admit to being leery of using raw spices and carrots in soups – oh god, the soft but still raw-tasting carrots! – ever since the unpleasant Daal With Mushy But Still Uncooked Vegetables Incident of ’08.

Fakes – Greek Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
2 medium onions, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup of spinach, packed (optional)

4 bay leaves
¾ cup tomato puree
1 Tbs paprika
2 Tbs oregano
5 cups vegetable stock (if you don’t have some homemade ready, just use water)
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cloves garlic, still in their skin
Extra-virgin olive oil (I use Trader Joe’s)

Directions:
1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat and when warm, pour in a generous amount (2-3 Tbs) of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is heated, throw in the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for several minutes or until they are starting to turn transparent.
2. Add the carrots and minced garlic, stirring well to evenly coat them in olive oil. Cook them for an additional five minutes.
3. Sprinkle in the paprika and stir to distribute it evenly over the veggies. Let the paprika cook for a minute, then stir in the oregano and the tomato puree, letting it cook for another minute. Add the lentils next and give them a good stir to coat them in the oil and spices.
4. Pour in the vegetable stock and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Turn the temperature down to low, cover, and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but not fully broken down.
5. While the soup is simmering, roast the remaining 5 garlic cloves in their skins in either a toaster oven or a regular oven until they are softened. Let them cool to the point that you can touch them comfortably, then de-skin and mince them.
6. When the lentils are tender, stir in the spinach (it should wilt quickly), roasted garlic, and salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings as desired.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a great soup. I will be making this soon.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks so hearty and tasty. I love the name. I would walk around the house saying it all day.

    ReplyDelete

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