Dinner Tonight: Lentil Soup (Fakes)

4/13/2014

"This is a soup that most Greeks have grown up with," writes Tessa Kiros. "The unusual part of this healthy, nourishing soup is the way they serve it with a drizzle of vinegar."

Lentil Soup (Fakes)

Adapted from Tessa Kiros' Food From Many Greek Kitchens, published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC.

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 dried oregano sprig

2 bay leaves

1-1/2 cups small brown lentils

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cinnamon stick

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil, for serving

Put the vinegar into a bowl. Crush 1 of the garlic cloves and add it to the bowl along with the oregano and 1 of the bay leaves.

Rinse the lentils, then put them into a pot with 7 cups of cold water. Add the remaining garlic cloves and bay leaf, the olive oil, onion, carrot and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil.  Skim the surface if necessary, cover, and simmer gently for about 25 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season well with salt and a little pepper and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft and the soup is lovely and thick. Take the lid off and simmer for about 5 minutes or longer if necessary, until it has a lovely thick soupy consistency.

Take off the heat, splash in 3 tablespoons of the vinegar and leave it to stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve hot, with an extra drizzle of olive oil and with the remaining vinegar on the table for anyone who'd like more.

Serves 4-6.