Brown lentil soup with zucchini 'Armonia'

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 80 g lentils, brown, cooked
• 200 g water, for soaking
• 1 small potatoes, waxy
• 1 small carrot(s)
• 100 g tomatoes, fully ripe
• 1 m.-large tomato peppers, red
• 1 small zucchini, green
• 1 small spring onion(s), fresh
• 1 m.-large onion(s), brown
• 4 medium-sized garlic cloves, fresh
• 2 m.-large bay leaves, dried
• 1 tsp, leveled nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 tsp oregano, fresh or frozen
• 1 tsp rosemary, fresh or dried
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 8 g beef broth powder
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 300 g orange juice
• 30 g feta cheese
• 50 g water
• 3 tbsp dry white wine
• n. B. Salt and pepper, black, freshly ground
• e.g. feta cheese
• n. B. Almond(s), white, sliced

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 5 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 6 hours

Spicy Cretan lentil soup with zucchini, vegetables and feta cheese.

Wash the lentils, drain them, and soak them in the water for five hours. Then boil them with the soaking water, half the orange juice, and the instant beef broth for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside the cooking water and the lentils. Meanwhile, wash, peel, and cut the potato, tomato pepper, and carrot into small pieces. Wash the tomato, remove the stem, halve it lengthwise, and remove the green and white core. Halve each half lengthwise, cut it into thirds crosswise, and blend in a blender with the tomato pepper and the remaining orange juice on high for one minute until finely pureed. Wash the spring onion, cut the green and white stem into approximately 2 cm wide pieces, and cut the green leaf parts into approximately 1 cm wide rings. Set aside separately. Wash the zucchini, trim the lower ends, halve it crosswise, quarter the lower half lengthwise, and cut it crosswise into approximately 2 cm wide pieces. Halve the onion lengthwise, trim both ends, peel, and chop into small pieces. Trim both ends of the garlic cloves, peel, and roughly chop into pieces. Heat a 2-liter Dutch oven, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and bring to a boil. Add the onions and garlic and roast until the onions turn light brown. Add the carrot and potato pieces and roast for two minutes. Deglaze with the cooking water, add the juices from the blender, and bring to a boil. Add the remaining spices and simmer with the lid on for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix the feta cheese with the water, white wine, and remaining olive oil until smooth. Add the spring onion stems and zucchini pieces and simmer for five minutes. Season the broth with salt and black pepper. Add the dissolved feta cheese, bring to a boil briefly, then add the green leaf parts of the spring onion. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, garnish with the appropriate ingredients, and serve with white bread. Note: Cretans enjoy their soup quite thick. Additional water and instant beef broth may be needed. Also, a smaller variety of lentils, similar to beluga lentils, is often used in Crete, which does not swell as much. Recipe source: Mr. Olympios, Armonia Hotel, Crete.