Fakes Soupa - Greek Lentil soup

Ingredients:

• 5 tomatoes, chopped and pureed
• 1/4 cup Fresh sweet corn
• 1/4 cup Whole masoor / brown lentils (soaked overnight)
• 1/4 cup Barley (soaked overnight)
• 1 potato peeled and cubed
• 1 zucchini sliced into half
• 1 carrot sliced into half
• salt to taste
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mixed Italian herb
• 1 tsp of vinegar or Cumin
• (Notes: You can play around with different sorts of vegetables as you like)

Procedure:

1. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add garlic and fry well then add masoor and Barley, fry well for 2-3 mins
2. Now add all the vegetables and fry well again.
3. Add pureed tomatoes, Italian herb, salt.
4. Let it boil for 2- 3min and add 2 cups of water and let it cook for 7-8 min or till the Barley is cooked, with lid closed.
5. Finally, add vinegar to soup in pot and stir through - this will give the soup its characteristic tang. If you prefer a spicy flavour, add some cumin to the soup instead of vinegar.
6. Serve warm.
7. Serve with wholegrain toasted bread. For an absolutely complete "Greek" meal accompany soup with olives, reduced fat fetta, and a glass of wine.

Bechamel Sauce

This sauce can be used on pasta baking or lasagna or in soups.


Ingredients

• 30g butter, chopped
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• pinch ground nutmeg

Procedure:

1. Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. 
2. Add flour, cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. 
4. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until mixture is smooth. (milk should be warm / boiling)
5.  Return to heat. 
6. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon / whisker  for 10 to 12 minutes or until sauce comes to the boil, thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. 
7. Remove from heat. Stir in salt and nutmeg.

Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp rice
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• salt to taste
• inch of grated nutmeg
• 2 tbsp Bechamel Sauce
• 3 cups water

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pot and add garlic and fry, (don't brown ) now add broccoli florets and fry for another 5-6 min.
2. Now add water and when boiling add salt and rice.
3. Let it boil for 10-15 min or till the rice is nearly cooked now add bechamel sauce and nutmeg powder.
4. Serve warm and sprinkle with a pinch of paprika or freshly ground pepper.
5. For crunch we had fresh Soybean pods which are are boiled and stir fried with some salt.