Greek Lentil Soup Food

GREEK LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Rinse the lentils and drain well.
• In a large pot heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and the garlic. Sauté for 1-2 min.
• Add the carrots and celery and sauté for 3-5 minutes.
• Stir and add the lentils, smashed tomatoes (you can also smash the tomatoes with your spoon after you add them in) and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil for 1-2 min.
• Lower the heat to the minimum. Cover the pot and simmer for 60-90 minutes. Cooking time depends on the kind of lentils you are using. I am using green lentils that require longer cooking. Check lentils often until they have the desired texture. Adjust liquids too, you might need to add a little water or stock to achieve your desired soup consistency).
• Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
• Serve lentils in bowls with a slight sprinkle of red hot chili pepper flakes, a 1 tbsp olive, a tbs of red wine vinegar (optional) and warm crusty bread on the side.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP RECIPE (FAKES SOUPA)

Steps:

• To prepare this Greek lentil soup recipe, start by washing the lentils thoroughly and let them soak in water for about 2 hours. If you like, you can skip this process by adding them into a deep pan along with some water and place over high heat. As soon as they come to the boil, drain them into a colander.
• Place a pan over medium-low heat and add the lentils, the water (warmed), the chopped onions, the chopped garlic and the bay leaves. Simmer with the lid on for about 25 minutes.
• Pour in the olive oil and the red wine vinegar, and season well with salt and pepper. If you prefer your Greek lentil soup to be 'reddened', then add 1 tablespoon of tomato paste.
• Boil the lentil soup for another 15 minutes, until it thickens and check out if they are done; keep in my mind that different kinds of lentils cook at different times.
• Serve this delicious Greek lentil soup with a splash of red wine vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil. Top with some crumbled feta cheese and enjoy!

EASY GREEK RED LENTIL SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add onions, carrots and garlic. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly. Add spices and bay leaves. Cook for a few seconds till fragrant, keep stirring so spices don't burn.
• Add crushed tomatoes, broth, lentils. Season with kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until lentils are fully cooked.
• Remove from heat. If you have the time, let soup cool a bit before using an immersion blender to puree. Pulse a few times till you reach the creamy consitency you are looking for.
• Return soup to heat, and stir to warm through. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh parsley.
• Transfer soup to serving bowls and top with extra virgin olive oil. If you like, top each bowl with a generous sprinkle of feta cheese. Serve with your favorite crusty bread!

GREEK LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, heat the oil and saute garlic, celery, onions, and carrot until veggies are tender.
• Add the water, stock, and the rinsed lentils.
• Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomatoes, along with the juice in the can, as well as the chopped herbs, and salt and pepper.
• Stir in the spinach and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes more.
• Re-check seasoning before serving.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP (FAKES)

Steps:

• Place the lentils in a pot and cover with lots of water. Bring to a boil and drain the water from the lentils.
• Cook the onion and carrots in the olive oil over medium heat until softened. About 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the lentils, bay leaves, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano. Pour enough water to cover the lentils by at least an inch. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• You may add more water to the pot if needed and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
• Freezer Instructions: At this point, the soup is ready to be served. You may also allow it to cool completely then transfer to freezer-safe containers. The soup will keep fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• To cook the soup with rice, add the rice to the pot along with 2 cups of water and some salt. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook until the rice is tender. About 15 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Serve the soup in bowls drizzled with olive oil and some vinegar along with some toasted bread. Enjoy!

FAKES (GREEK LENTIL SOUP RECIPE)

Steps:

• Pick over the lentils and remove any shrivelled pieces and small stones.
• Cover the lentils with warm water for 3 - 4 hours. Change water every hour or so. Drain.
• Add lentils to a pot and cover with an inch of water. Bring water and lentils to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes and then drain lentils and discard the water they were boiled in. Rinse lentils.
• While the lentils are boiling, prepare your vegetables by finely dicing onion, carrot and celery, thinly slicing the garlic and grating your potato if you're adding it.
• In a large pot (you can use the same pot you just boiled the lentils in - but dry it first) combine the olive oil and chopped onion. Cook onion over medium heat until soft, approximately 5 minutes.
• Add carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves to pot with onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly to prevent garlic from burning.
• Add the lentils, water (6 cups or enough to cover the lentils by 1 inch), tomato sauce, and the grated potato(or rice if you are using either).
• Bring to boil and then reduce to medium heat. Cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper 15 minutes into the cooking process. Total cooking times may vary depending upon the age of the lentils, and whether or not you soaked them, and for how long. Your fakes are done when they are soft to the bite. For those who want, you can add a splash (1 teaspoon or so) of red wine vinegar to each individual portion
• Enjoy!

GREEK LENTIL SOUP (FAKES SOUPA)

Steps:

• Soak lentils in a large bowl or container covered with lots of water for 2-4 hours (or overnight). Drain and rinse well.
• Sauté the onions and celery in a large pot over medium-high heat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until softened and beginning to brown (about 3 minutes).
• Add the garlic, sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
• Pour in the red wine and stir, cooking until it has reduced by about half (about 2 minutes).
• Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes, bay leaves, herbs, salt, pepper, and soaked lentils.
• Stir, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
• Turn off heat and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil and the red wine vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
• Serve!

GREEK-STYLE LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place the water, broth, lentils, carrots, onion, celery and 1/2 teaspoon oregano in a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours or until lentils are tender., Stir in the spinach, tomato sauce, olives, vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Cook, covered, on low about 1 hour longer, until spinach is wilted. If desired, serve with red onion, parsley and lemon wedges.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP (FAKI)

Steps:

• Prepare the lentils: Lentils are harvested by machine so often they come with small rocks and irregular looking beans that you do not want in your soup. To check the lentils, pour them in small batches onto a plate so they are able to spread out. Give them a quick look over, remove any foreign objects, and dump them into a bowl. Repeat until you have checked all of your lentils. Then fill the bowl with cold water and rinse your lentils 2-3 time to remove any dust or bean skins. Throw the lentils into a big soup pot.
• Dice your carrots and celery and throw them into the pot as well.
• Add 2 boxes of stock to the pot and put the soup on a high heat until it boils and then reduce to medium. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are done.
• To finish the soup, turn the heat to low. Now add the oregano and salt and pepper to taste. The soup is finished with a liberal addition of red wine vinegar, which adds an important top note to the soup. We often add it to the soup and then have the vinegar on the table to allow folks to add additional vinegar to their liking.
• Optional Ingredients: Over the years I have tried out other Faki recipes. Here are my favorite additions from those experiments. The bulgur bulks up the soup into more of a stew. Despite how successful the soup can be if you add some (or all) of thee additions, I still most often stick with the basic soup. To add the additions, the tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and/or bulgur wheat goes in at the same time as the stock. The additional spices go in during the seasoning phase.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP (FAKES SOUPA)

Steps:

• In a 3 qt soup pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.
• Add dried lentils, tomatoes, stock, water, parsley, bay, oregano, salt, pepper, and the remaining olive oil. Simmer, covered for 45 minutes.
• Just before serving, stir in the red wine vinegar to taste.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Place the dried lentils in a large bowl. Sort through and remove any shriveled up lentils. Pour cold water over to cover lentils and let stand at least two hours. Pour off water and rinse.
• Clean the garlic and thinly dice; chop the onion and thinly slice the carrots. Place the vegetables in a large stock pot with the olive oil and sauté for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and lentils.
• Pour in water and add seasonings. Turn heat to medium high and bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently. Cover and turn heat to medium low and cook for two hours, stirring occasionally.
• Serve with a tossed green salad for a healthy, protein packed meal!
• Serves 6 to 8.

GREEK LENTIL AND SPINACH SOUP WITH LEMON

Steps:

• In a large, heavy soup pot, combine cleaned lentils, stock (or water), chili, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, oregano, basil, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to very low and let simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes.
• Add potatoes and spinach, cover again and let simmer another 15 minutes. Add the butternut squash. Cover again and let simmer while you do the next step.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and sauté until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the celery and garlic and sauté another 3 minutes, stirring often. Add this mixture to the soup; deglaze the skillet with a little soup and add the pan contents to the pot. Add salt, taste for seasoning.
• Just before serving, add the lemon juice, stir well and taste again for seasoning. Serve hot with a lemon slice floating on top of each bowl of soup.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP

Steps:

• Wash and pick over the lentils, and put them in a large soup pot with the water and bay leaves. Bring them to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
• Prepare the onions, celery and carrots, and sauté them in the olive oil until soft and slightly browned in spots. Add them to the lentils when the lentils are getting tender; after about 30 minutes of cooking.
• Dissolve the tomato paste in some of the soup water, and mix it into the soup. Add the salt, pepper and oregano.
• Cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water until almost tender. Drain and add to the soup.
• Wash the Swiss chard well, and shred it finely. Add it to the soup, and simmer until the pasta is tender and the chard is bright green.
• If soup appears to be too dry at this time, add more liquid. (This should be a thick, stew-like soup, but, if heat is too high, there may be too much evaporation).
• When the soup is fully cooked, stir in 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste.

GREEK LENTIL SOUP (FAKES)

Steps:

• Place lentils in a large saucepan; add enough water to cover by 1 inch. Bring water to a boil and cook for 10 minutes; drain.
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and carrot; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in lentils, 1 quart water, oregano, rosemary, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils have softened, 30 to 40 minutes. Add additional water if the soup becomes too thick. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and red wine vinegar to taste.