These lentils are made the Greek way and basically it’s a traditional soup that is eaten a one-dish meal. It’s called fakes fakes (*) or φακές and these lentils are everything but fake news :) I insist in the fact that it’s a one-dish meal because we do not need to eat them with meat as it’s often done in France with lentils, and this transform them in a vegan dish! It’s good, very efficient and very easy to make :)
In two words:“In silence, everyone is watching the fine night fall”
difficulty – easy
preparation– 5’
cooking - 30’ (for a soup) + 35’ (for a classic dish)
serves - 2
Ingredients
- 100gr of lentils (blond or green)
- 1 medium size onion
- 1 clove of garlic of medium size
- 2 carrots of medium size
- 100ml of tomato puree
- 1 bay leaf big enough
- 900ml of hot water
- 15 turn mills of Kampot black pepper
- ½ teaspoon of fleur de sel or coarse salt
- 4 teaspoons of olive oil
Steps
- Peel and chisel the onion
- Peel and slice the garlic in medium size rounds
- Peel and slice carrots in medium size rounds as well
- Wash lentils with cold water
- Heat-up a medium saucepan
- Add the onion and stir constantly to evaporate its humidity
- Add the olive oil and stir in the onion until it becomes a bit brown
- Add the garlic and stir it in with the onion
- Add the carrots and stir until they are coated with olive oil
- Add the lentils and stir
- Add the bay leaf and stir
- Add the tomato puree and stir again
- Add the hot water and stir
- Add salt and pepper and stir one last time
- Put the lid on and cook in medium heat for 30’ in order to have a soup or for 35’ to have a dish (the last 5 minutes you need to take the lid off and cook in high heat in order to help evaporate the remaining water)
- Serve still hot with a bit of red wine vinegar or, if you can get it, try it with the Xérès vinegar because it’s better
What’s the story behind this recipe?
This dish is a traditional Greek soup and it’s eaten as one-dish meal. It’s called fakes (*) or φακές and it’s very efficient in terms of satiety but also in taste (so good!) because it’s cooked in a completely different way with regards to the tasteless French lentils, and this is due to the other ingredients (tomato, onion, carrot, garlic and mainly bay leaf). Furthermore, it’s an excellent vegan dish and it’s pushed towards apotheosis when it’s served with Xérès vinegar (if you can find it) or any other red wine vinegar.
Je n’aimais pas trop la version soupe alors j’ai créé une deuxième version en format plat (toujours complet) où l’eau est presque évaporé, donc ce n’est plus une soupe. En Grèce, nous avions (à l’époque où je vivais là) que des lentilles blondes ; en France j’ai fait l’expérience avec les lentilles vertes (du Puy c’est meilleur, il parait) et le plat est toujours bon ! Par contre, les lentilles françaises ont besoin de cuire moins que les lentilles grecques, alors si vous êtes en Grèce, il faudrait cuire le plat beaucoup plus. Néanmoins, ce qui est très surprenant est qu’en France les lentilles (blondes ou vertes) sont meilleures en termes de goût 🙂
C’est un plat simple, bon et extrêmement efficace même dans un contexte Weight Watchers parce qu’elles sont saines, rassasiantes et avec peu de matières grasses !
Essayez et vous serez vraiment surpris !
(*) it is pronounced fakés
o-o C'est si bon ! o-o
