Fakes recipe: Greek comfort soup for a Dutch snotty autumn

You know them, those days when you'd rather eat yourself like a pancake Curled up in your duvet. Runny nose, cottony head, throat like sandpaper... You need comfort food. Not soup from a can, but something homemade. Honest and simple comfort food.

Following the popular Italian pastina soup : Fakes (pronounced fah-kes ). No fancy stuff, no complicated ingredients, just a nourishing lentil soup that's surprisingly delicious. Need more spice? A spicy upgrade that will clear your sinuses like a fresh spring breeze.

Greek simplicity: this is vega Fakes

Fakes is a traditional Greek lentil soup, created by clever mothers with little to spare and plenty of love to give. It's packed with fiber, vitamins, and warming flavors. Perfect when your immune system needs a boost, or you simply crave a bowl of comfort.
The Fakes recipe (classic and spicy)

For 4 - 6 servings

• ± 300 g brown or green lentils (rinsed, but can also be easily used from a can!)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can of tomato puree
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp oregano (preferably dried)
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder (mild)
• 1.5 liters vegetable stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: dash of red wine vinegar, lemon/lime slice, or lemon juice for a fresh finish.

Spicy option, add in step 2:

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes or
• 1/2 red pepper, finely chopped or
• homemade crispy chili oil or fermented chili-garlic paste

Here's how to make it:

1. The basics
   Sauté the onion, carrot, and garlic in olive oil in a large soup pot. Simmer gently until translucent.

2. Add flavor
   Add the tomato paste, oregano, bay leaf (and chili flakes or red pepper if you're going for something spicy). Cook briefly until the tomato paste darkens – this brings out the sweetness.

3. Add lentils and stock
   Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the lentils are tender (about 30-40 minutes).

4. Finishing touch
   Remove the bay leaf, taste and season with salt, pepper and, if desired, a dash of vinegar or lemon juice for extra depth.

Serve with...

• A slice of toasted bread, possibly spread with good butter
  
• A scoop of Greek yogurt or some crumbled feta
  
• Sprinkle some fresh coriander on top
  
• And if you have any leftovers of anything, you can always put them in there too :)
• Or just pure and without fuss, in your favorite mug, under a blanket
  

Fakes is the kind of soup that doesn't require anything complicated, just a little time and a large pot . Perfect for a Saturday afternoon when you're feeling a bit under the weather, or just need some extra warmth.

The best pan for this job: Le Creuset frying pan Faitout Tradition Cherry Red #bucketlistthings
Are you going to make it? Let me know what you thought and if you went for the spicy version!