Greece · Soup · Easy
Greek lentil soup (fakes)
Thick brown lentil soup with tomato, bay and olive oil, sharpened with vinegar
Fakes is a thick Greek soup of brown lentils simmered with onion, garlic, tomato, bay leaves and a generous amount of olive oil. Boiling and draining the lentils first gives a cleaner-tasting soup, and a splash of red wine vinegar at the end brightens the earthy lentils.
- Energy
- 495 kcalper serving
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1 h 5 min
- Rest
- 5 min
- Protein
- 22 g
How was it?
Equipment
- Heavy pot (at least 4 l) with lid
- Sieve or colander
- Wooden spoon
Before you start
- Spread the lentils on a plate and remove any small stones, then rinse them in the sieve under cold water.
- Chop the onion finely and slice the garlic.
Method
-
Boil and drain the lentils
350 g brown lentilsPut the lentils in the pot, cover with cold water by 5 cm and bring to the boil over high heat. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain in the sieve and rinse.
Done when A grey-brown foam has risen to the surface and the drained lentils look clean and shiny.
Tip This first boil removes the dusty, muddy flavour some lentils have and some of the foam.
-
Soften the onion
80 ml extra virgin olive oil150 g onionWipe the pot, add half of the olive oil and the onion and cook over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring often.
Done when The onion is soft, translucent and just turning golden at the edges.
-
Add garlic and tomato paste
3 cloves garlic2 tbsp tomato pasteAdd the garlic and tomato paste and stir over medium heat for 1–2 minutes.
Done when The tomato paste turns from bright red to a deeper brick colour and smells sweet, and the garlic is fragrant but not brown.
-
Bring to the boil
350 g brown lentils1.5 l water2 leaves bay leaves1 tsp dried Greek oreganoAdd the drained lentils, the water, bay leaves and oregano. Bring to the boil over high heat.
Done when The water is boiling across the whole surface and the lentils are tumbling.
-
Simmer the lentils
Lower to medium-low, cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer for 35–45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Add a splash of hot water if the lentils poke out above the liquid.
Done when The lentils are completely soft and creamy inside when crushed against the side of the pot, with skins still mostly whole.
Tip Older lentils take longer. Taste a few rather than relying only on the time.
-
Salt and enrich with oil
6 g fine salt80 ml extra virgin olive oilAdd the salt and the rest of the olive oil. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring often so it does not catch.
Done when The soup is thick, like a loose stew, and the oil has emulsified into it so the surface looks glossy rather than oily.
Tip Salt goes in once the lentils are soft. Added earlier, it slows down how quickly the skins soften.
-
Finish with vinegar
2 leaves bay leaves2 tbsp red wine vinegarto taste black pepperTake the pot off the heat, remove the bay leaves and stir in the vinegar and black pepper. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Done when The soup smells bright and slightly sharp, and tastes balanced: earthy lentils lifted by the vinegar without tasting sour.
Common mistakes
The lentils stay hard.
Fix Old lentils, or salt and acid added too soon. Simmer longer before adding salt, and add the vinegar only at the end.
The soup is thin and watery.
Fix Simmer uncovered for longer in step 6, or mash a ladleful of lentils against the side of the pot and stir back in.
It tastes flat and muddy.
Fix Skipped the first boil or the vinegar. Always boil and drain first, and finish with vinegar to taste.
It has stuck and burned at the bottom.
Fix Thick lentil soup catches easily. Stir every 10 minutes, scraping the bottom, and keep the heat at medium-low.
Serving
Serve hot in deep bowls with extra vinegar and olive oil at the table. In Greece it comes with bread, olives, a piece of feta or salted anchovies or sardines on the side (none of which are included in the nutrition figures).
Storage and reheating
Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours; it keeps 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months. It thickens a lot as it stands: reheat over medium-low heat with a splash of water, stirring, until steaming throughout.
Make ahead
Make the whole soup up to 3 days ahead; it tastes even better the next day. Add a little fresh vinegar after reheating.
Variations
With carrot and celery
Add 1 finely diced carrot and 1 celery stick with the onion. Note that celery is an allergen.
With rosemary
Add 1 sprig of fresh rosemary with the bay leaves and remove it at the end. Common in the islands.
With fresh tomato
In summer, replace the tomato paste with 200 g of grated ripe tomato and simmer it with the garlic for 3–4 minutes before adding the lentils.
Vegetarian, with feta
Crumble 100 g of feta over the bowls at the table. It adds salt, so reduce the salt in the soup to 4 g.
