Serving size: Serves 4
Cuisine type: Greek
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Course: Main
Favourite flavours: Easy recipes, Soup
Convenience recipes: four or less

Real Living magazine recipe for faki (greek vegetable and lentil soup).

INGREDIENTS

1 large brown onion, quartered
2 carrots, peeled & roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, trimmed & roughly chopped
1½ tsp dried oregano leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ tbsp olive oil
3 bay leaves
1½ cups dried green lentils
2 x 400g tins diced tomatoes
3 tsp sugar
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
2½ tbsp red wine vinegar
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
Large handful parsley leaves, chopped roughly
2/3 cup Greek yoghurt
1 cucumber, halved lengthways, seeds removed & grated
1 tsp finely grated lemon rind

Equipment
Sharp knife
Peeler
Fine grater
Food processor
Large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Medium mixing bowl
Kitchen spoon
Ladle

METHOD

Process onion, carrot, celery, oregano leaves and 3 cloves of minced garlic in food processor to form a chunky paste (see "Tip").

Heat oil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook vegetable mixture and bay leaves, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins. Add lentils and stir to coat.

Add tomato, sugar, stock and water. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 mins, until lentils are firm but tender. Alternatively, cook longer for softer lentils.

Stir through vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 5 mins. Stir through most of chopped parsley.

Combine yoghurt, cucumber, lemon rind and remaining garlic in mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve Ladle soup into serving bowls. Dollop a generous spoonful of lemon and cucumber yoghurt onto soup and scatter with remaining chopped parsley.

Tip Processing the vegies saves time and makes the soup thicker. If you don't have a food processor, chop the vegies into similar sizes or coarsely grate them and continue from step 2. The soup will be chunkier, and the broth a bit thinner.