Prices are in euro (valid in Hania). All
ingredients are Greek or locally sourced; those marked with * are
considered frugal here because they are cheap and/or people have their
own supplies.
Lentil stew (or soup - it can be made into either, using the same ingredients) - commonly known as 'fa-KIES' in Greek, is eaten as frequently as fasolada, the Greek national bean dish. It's easier and quicker to make than fasolada, which is why I like making it. It's always the first meal I make when we return from a long trip away from home, because it's so easy to make - you can unpack your suitcases, put a load of washing on and get over jet lag or place/climate changes while it's cooking. All the ingredients needed to make it are pantry staples. As a stew, it simply gets better when left overnight. And it will be left overnight,because, just like fasolada, you never make enough for only one serving, so you'll have more time to rest after your holiday.
You need:
a few glugs of olive oil
400g-500g brown lentils (Greek-grown lentils cost about €2)
1 large onion*
2 cloves of garlic*
400g pureed tomato (I use my home-made tomato sauce)*
salt, pepper and oregano to taste*
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash the lentils and drain them. Heat the oil in a large pot, place all the ingredients in it, add plenty of water (twice the volume of the ingredients), and cover the pot. Cook on the lowest heat for two-three hours. I went to the supermarket to stock up on fresh food while my fakies were cooking.
We like our lentils like a stew. If you prefer them to be a soup, just add more water (to your plate or the pot) and mix till well blended. We had our lentil stew with classic Greek bakery bread, some slivers of Dutch herbed cheese which I'd bought at Zaanse Schans, and avocado dip sprinkled with smoked paprika powder (a present from a friend in Holland).
Total cost of the meal for four people (served twice): about €3, together with the cheese; about 40 cents per serving.
©All Rights Reserved/Organically cooked. No part of this blog may be reproduced and/or copied by any means without prior consent from Maria Verivaki.
Lentil stew (or soup - it can be made into either, using the same ingredients) - commonly known as 'fa-KIES' in Greek, is eaten as frequently as fasolada, the Greek national bean dish. It's easier and quicker to make than fasolada, which is why I like making it. It's always the first meal I make when we return from a long trip away from home, because it's so easy to make - you can unpack your suitcases, put a load of washing on and get over jet lag or place/climate changes while it's cooking. All the ingredients needed to make it are pantry staples. As a stew, it simply gets better when left overnight. And it will be left overnight,because, just like fasolada, you never make enough for only one serving, so you'll have more time to rest after your holiday.
You need:
a few glugs of olive oil
400g-500g brown lentils (Greek-grown lentils cost about €2)
1 large onion*
2 cloves of garlic*
400g pureed tomato (I use my home-made tomato sauce)*
salt, pepper and oregano to taste*
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Wash the lentils and drain them. Heat the oil in a large pot, place all the ingredients in it, add plenty of water (twice the volume of the ingredients), and cover the pot. Cook on the lowest heat for two-three hours. I went to the supermarket to stock up on fresh food while my fakies were cooking.
My cutlery, crockery and clock are all family heirlooms from my NZ years.
Total cost of the meal for four people (served twice): about €3, together with the cheese; about 40 cents per serving.
©All Rights Reserved/Organically cooked. No part of this blog may be reproduced and/or copied by any means without prior consent from Maria Verivaki.
I would only add a couple of bay leaves. That's exactly how we like it, thick and soothing. My mum would never serve cheese with pulses' stews, only olives, pickles and the odd dried herring. I think your avocado dip would suit her fine.
ReplyDeletei once used bay leaf and cinamon stick instead of oregano in our φακές because i'd had them this way at a friend's house and i liked them - the family reacted negatively; it's all got to do with what they get used to eating - they are not immune to change
DeleteWould it be possible to mix oregano and bay leaf or would those spices kind of be at cross purposes in fakes? I am making fakes right now (also with a few carrots thrown in). Thank you for your wonderful recipes and ideas about how to make family life nutritious in every sense of the word!
ReplyDeletebay leaf and oregano is PERFECT for this stew - we dont add bay leaf becos it isnt to my family's liking, but my cousin does, it's her family's favorite stew
DeleteOkay. Then I will do that next time. We try to put oregano in everything we possibly can since we collect our own organic oregano from near my mother-in-law's remote mountain village. But I will now try adding bay leaves as well since my family does like bay leaves. Also, the fakes turned out perfect! I followed the recipe that calls for two onions and 5 toes of garlic. It was simple and very good.
Delete