Cretan yellow lentil soup with feta and pine nuts

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 50 g lentils, brown, dried
• 200 g lentils, yellow, dried
• 6 m.-large tomato(s)
• 16 small okra, fresh
• 1 medium-sized potato(s), waxy
• 1 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 1 m.-large onion(s), brown
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 50 g feta cheese
• 200 g white wine
• 10 g beef broth powder
• n. B. Salt to taste
• n. B. white wine vinegar to taste
• some olive oil for frying
• 4 m.-large bay leaves, dried
• 1 tsp sage leaves, fresh or dried
• 1 tsp thyme, fresh or dried
• ½ tsp rosemary, fresh or dried
• 1 tsp, levelled black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 cinnamon stick(s), approx. 5 cm long
• 1 pinch of clove(s) (clove powder)
• e.g. Feta cheese, shredded
• 50 g pine nuts, lightly roasted

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 8 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 8 hours 50 minutes

Even the Minotaur would have been tame for this lentil dish.

Soak the brown lentils in 400g of water overnight. Wash the tomatoes, quarter them lengthwise, remove the green and white stems, and cut them into thirds crosswise. Wash the yellow lentils, drain well, and cook them in 600g of water with the tomatoes and instant beef broth for 10 minutes until half cooked. Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, and roughly puree in a blender on the lowest setting for 30 seconds. In the meantime, wash and peel the potato and carrot. Quarter the potato lengthwise and crosswise. Slice the carrot crosswise into sticks about 1cm thick. Halve the onion lengthwise, detach both ends, peel, and chop into small pieces. Detach both ends of the garlic cloves, peel, and chop into small pieces. Heat a medium-sized pan, add olive oil, and heat until hot. Add the onions and garlic and roast until the onions are light brown. Place the potatoes, carrots, and brown lentils, including the soaking water, along with the lentil puree and the onion mixture, into a saucepan. Add all the spices and simmer for about 7 minutes. Stir occasionally. Meanwhile, wash the okra, trim the stem end, and use the pod whole. Mix the white wine with the feta cheese and add it to the lentils along with the okra. Season with salt and white wine vinegar. Simmer for another 8 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Divide among serving plates, garnish, and serve warm with white bread.