Name: Greek Lentil Soup with Bay and Vinegar
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 5 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 350 g whole red lentils; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 4 cloves garlic, sliced; 300 g tomatoes, grated or chopped; 5 tablespoons cold-pressed sesame oil, or olive oil; 3 bay leaves; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; to taste red wine vinegar, to serve; to taste salt and black pepper

Before you cook

Fakes is deliberately plain until the vinegar arrives. Without it the soup reads as heavy; with it the whole bowl sharpens.

Add the vinegar in the bowl, not the pot, so each person can set the level themselves.

Method

Rinse the lentils well and drain them thoroughly in a sieve.
Warm the oil and cook the onion slowly until soft and sweet.
Add garlic and bay leaves, stirring for one minute until fragrant.
Stir in the tomatoes and cook down for five minutes into a base.
Add the lentils and enough water to cover them by four centimetres.
Bring to the boil and skim the foam that rises in the first minutes.
Simmer covered for thirty-five minutes until the lentils are fully tender.
Crush a few lentils against the side of the pot to thicken the broth.
Season with salt, pepper and oregano now that cooking has finished.
Serve with vinegar and a further pour of raw oil at the table.

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