Greek Vegetable and Lentil Soup (Fakes)🥕🇬🇷 Dad's Way

Greek lentil soup or fakes (pronounced Fah-kehs), with loads of vegetables.

It shouldn’t be a surprise to read that our fakes recipe is jam packed with vegetables, including carrot, celery, cauliflower & chilli 🌶 . We always use the cauliflower stem & leaves too.  It's the best part! Sometimes we add spinach as well. All the vegetables are optional and the amounts you use can be varied depending on what you have in your fridge or what you like.

It's a one pot wonder full of goodness and deliciousness 😋 Make sure you read my tips at the bottom of this page.

Recipe exactly the way our father Nicholaos made it.

Ingredients 

serves about 4-5

• 1 large onion, chopped 
• 1/2 - 1 long red chilli, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1-2 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1/2 cauliflower including stem, cut flower into small florets and trim and chop the stem and leaves into small pieces
• 1 large tomato, grated
• 350g green lentils, rinsed well
• 2 bay leaves
• 7 cups warm water, or more depending on how thick you like it
• 2 tsp salt (or more to taste)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 small bunch chopped parsley
• red wine vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil

1. Sort and rinse lentils to remove any stones, debris and damaged lentils
2. Add lentils to a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring water and lentils to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 mins. Drain the lentils and rinse with cold water.
3. Wash and dry your saucepan. Heat some extra virgin olive oil in your saucepan and saute the onion, followed by the garlic and chilli.
4. Add the carrot, celery and cauliflower, and stir for a few minutes.
5. Add the tomato, lentils, bay leaves and water. Make sure the water covers all your vegetables and lentils.
6. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the lentils are soft to eat but not mushy. This may vary so you may have to cook them a little more or less.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar.
9. Add a piece of feta and olives, if you like, and always eat with some yummy bread.

Tips 
Step 2 above is very important because it makes the soup gentler on the stomach for those people who are sensitive to lentils. Theory has it that the oligosaccharides in lentils that cause bloating, are removed in this process.

This soup is best enjoyed after at least 3-4 hours, or stored in the fridge overnight for even deeper flavors.