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Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes) Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 57 reviews

Greek Lentil Soup, known as Fakes, is a comforting and nutritious traditional soup made with lentils, vegetables, and aromatic herbs. This hearty dish features a flavorful blend of sautéed onions, carrots, tomato paste, and a medley of spices, simmered to perfection to create a rich and wholesome meal perfect for any season.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 400 g Lentils (2 Cups) (14 oz)
  • 1 medium Carrot
  • 1 large Onion
  • 1 tsp Tomato paste
  • 2–3 Bay leaves
  • 3 Chicken or Vegetable stock cubes
  • 2 tsp Sugar
  • 1 Thyme sprig or 1 tsp dried Thyme
  • 2 tsp Smoked garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Berbere spice or cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp Black pepper
  • 1.7 litres Hot water (57.5 fl.oz) (1.2 litres (40.5 fl.oz) if cooking with a pressure cooker)
  • 200 ml Tomato purée (6.8 fl.oz) (options: crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce)
  • Olive oil (for sautéing)

Instructions

  1. Clean the Lentils: First, clean the lentils thoroughly, removing any debris or odd lentils to ensure a clean and smooth soup base.
  2. Chop Vegetables: Using an electric mixer, chop the peeled onion and carrot finely to prepare them for sautéing.
  3. Sauté Vegetables: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the chopped onions and carrots until softened and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and sauté for an additional minute to enhance its flavor.
  4. Add Spices and Stock: Incorporate the smoked garlic powder, sugar, black pepper, thyme, berbere spice or cayenne pepper, bay leaves, and stock cubes into the pot, stirring well to combine all the aromatics.
  5. Pour Liquids: Slowly pour in the hot water and the tomato purée, stirring carefully to blend all ingredients together evenly.
  6. Bring to Boil: Increase the heat and bring the soup to a rolling boil to start the cooking process.
  7. Simmer: Reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer gently for about 60 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and tender. Add more hot water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
  8. Season to Taste: Taste and adjust the seasoning as preferred, adding salt or additional spices if necessary. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Notes

  • For a thicker soup, reduce the amount of water or simmer longer.
  • Substitute chicken stock cubes with vegetable stock for a vegetarian version.
  • Berbere spice can be replaced with cayenne pepper if unavailable, but berbere adds a distinctive Ethiopian flavor.
  • To speed up cooking, a pressure cooker can be used with adjusted water quantity (1.2 litres) and reduced cooking time.
  • This soup pairs wonderfully with crusty bread or a simple Greek salad for a complete meal.

Keywords: Greek lentil soup, Fakes, lentil soup recipe, vegetarian soup, healthy Greek food, easy lentil soup

Find it online: https://stirringwithstella.com/greek-lentil-soup-fakes-recipe/