I originally wrote and posted this seven years ago, as I was going through my first-grade school book published right after the Second World War. In it there was a description of fassoláda (bean soup), which was often referred to as ‘the Greek national dish’ in the old days. Surprisingly, the version in my book had no tomato! I was shocked, as fassoláda is always made with tomatoes as far as I can remember, but probably in those days canned tomatoes as well as tomato paste were not yet a common ingredient in all households. See also how the kitchen and stove looked in most parts of the country the 1950ies…

My revised recipe below is flavored with the wonderful Piperokama, the dried, smoked, hot peppers of Florina that our friend Naoumidis prepares.  I am told that it will be soon available in the US, as are his other deeply flavored roasted peppers which you can order  HERE and also HERE. 

We love to eat fassolàda with feta cheese, but also with canned sardines in olive oil or any smoked fish.

A simple bowl of olives, and/or taramosalata is the custom during the days of Lent, preceding Christmas.

Serves 4-6

2 cups dried white beans, like cannelini, soaked overnight in water and drained, or 4 cups pre-cooked beans

2/3 cup olive oil

2 small onions, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

4 large garlic cloves, sliced

2 tablespoons (70 grams) tomato paste

3 medium-small carrots, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

One 16-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice or 2 cups grated ripe tomatoes 

1 tablespoon turmeric

Peel from half an orange, in 2 strips or 2-3 pieces preserved lemon, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons Piperokama, or Maraş (Aleppo) pepper, or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

2 cups coarsely chopped celery, preferably ‘wild’ (see note)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle

Fleur de sel, preferably from Kythera, to sprinkle

1 lemon, quartered, to serve (optional)

Place the beans in a large pot and cover with plenty of water, about 3-4 inches. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Drain, discarding the cooking water. If you use pre-cooked beans omit this step.

In the pot warm the olive oil, add the sliced onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic, sauté one minute more then add the tomato paste and stir a few seconds. Add the peas, if you use them, along with the carrots and the precooked beans. Toss a few times and add the tomatoes, turmeric, orange peel, salt, Maraş pepper, celery, and 2 cups water.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, adding water as needed, until the beans are very tender, almost mushy. Add the mustard, taste and adjust the seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes more, until the beans are just covered with broth.

Remove from the heat and serve, drizzling with extra-virgin olive oil.

Pass the lemon quarters so people can add a fresh, bright squeeze at the table, and also pass Piperokama or Maraş pepper, as well as good Fleur de sel, we use the one from Antheas, so diners can sprinkle more over the beans.

NOTE:

If you use common celery add an extra 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley with the mustard toward the end of cooking.
The leaf or‘wild’ celery commonly used in Europe is strongly aromatic and looks like oversized flat leaf parsley. You can easily grow it in your garden or in pots. It is very different from American celery, which has long crunchy stalks, and wild celery is never eaten raw.
You can get leaf or ‘wild’ celery in Asian markets under the name kun choi or kin tsai. When you find it, buy it in quantity, wash it, coarsely chop it and keep it in zip-log bags in the freezer to use as needed. Unlike common celery, it does not keep long in the refrigerator.

The post Fassoláda: the Traditional Bean soup, Revisited appeared first on Aglaia's Table οn Kea Cyclades.

It is the traditional one-pot Christmas dish on Rhodes and other Dodecanese islands. Christmas in the Greek islands is not the big feast celebrated in the United States or northern Europe: Easter and the Virgin Mary’s Assumption (August 15) are the important island festivals.

The addition of ginger and a piece of lemon peel is my twist on the basic recipe I got from my mother. I think their flavor and aroma deepens the broth’s taste. I prefer making the soup lighter, with vermicelli instead of rice, or even plain — just the broth and pieces of chicken. In that case you may want to add one more egg if you want to make it thicker, creamier.

Sometimes instead of chicken meat,  meatballs such as the Scallion Meatballs,  are cooked in a chicken or meat avgolemono  soup.  

Until the late 1960s, chicken was considered a great delicacy on the islands. It was the most expensive of all meats and, except for important feasts, it was usually reserved for children and the sick as the lighter of all meats.  The free-range chickens or capons of Greece need a long time to cook, and even then, their flesh can sometimes be tough and stringy. But they make the most delicious soup or youvetsi.

Instead of chicken you can make the soup with de-fatted broth from beef bones or make an exquisite fish soup (psarosoupa) boiling down fish heads, bones, and small fish. I try to always have various homemade stocks in my freezer so that I can make not just soups, but flavor risotto and all kinds of sauces.  

 Makes 6 to 8 servings as a first course, about 4 to 5 as a main course 

1            3-to-4-pound free-range chicken, quartered, plus 3 pounds chicken backs, necks and/or wings  OR instead of entire chicken, use 5-6 skin-on chicken legs        

1            large onion, halved        

2            medium carrots, peeled and quartered 

2            bay leaves         

2            tablespoons salt             

10–12   whole peppercorns

2           tablespoons allspice berries bruised in a mortar

1          3-inch piece ginger unpeeled, cut into 4-6 pieces lengthwise (optional) 

1          3-inch lemon peel (optional)         

2            tablespoons olive oil     

5            scallions (white and most of the green parts), thinly sliced

A few stems from dill or fennel (optional) 

1-2         Thyme or Savory sprigs                

1            cup chopped fresh dill   

2/3        cup medium-grain rice, such as Arborio or about 100 grams vermicelli pasta

2            large eggs          

4–6        tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice                         

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the chicken and chicken parts in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam and reduce the heat to low. Add the onion, carrots, bay leaves, salt and peppercorns. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water as needed, until the chicken starts to fall from the bones.

Transfer the chicken quarters to a large plate. Remove the meat and cut half of it into bite-sized pieces; cover and refrigerate. Refrigerate the remaining chicken for another use.

Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and refrigerate it for a few hours, or until the fat congeals on top. Remove and discard most of the fat.

In a large pot, heat the oil and sauté the scallions over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Add 1/2 cup of the dill and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the rice or vermicelli, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender, or about 10 minutes for the vermicelli.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, 1/4 cup lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 3 cups of the hot stock mixture into the eggs. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Add the chicken and the remaining 1/2 cup dill. Taste and adjust the seasonings with lemon juice, salt and/or pepper. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes more; do not boil. Serve hot.

VARIATION On Kea, 1 cup of grated or diced tomatoes is added to the broth along with the rice, making a delightful pink soup.

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My recipe is inspired by the soups of Gaziantep, which often combine bulgur and/or chickpeas with the lentils.

Photo by PENNY DE LOS SANTOS  from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts.     

The pulses in Turkey are usually cooked with lamb or beef bones to add body, and the soup is finished with aromatic-infused butter, though olive oil is an excellent alternative.

Vegetarians can make the soup more substantial by adding diced feta, as Costas and I do, or complement with grilled halloumi cheese.

Serves 6 to 8 

1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, plus 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (160 g) chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (220 g) red lentils rinsed in a colander under running water

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

1 cup (160 g) precooked wheat berries (see Note)

1/2 cup (100 g) precooked chickpeas (optional)

1 tablespoon turmeric

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 to 2 teaspoons Maraş pepper or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons combination of cumin, ground coriander, and dried basil, to taste

1/4 cup (15 g) chopped fresh basil leaves, or shredded fresh tarragon plus 1 teaspoon or more dried basil or tarragon; reserve extra leaves to decorate

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Sumac, for sprinkling (optional)

In a thick-bottomed pot, warm 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil, add the onions, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté for about 6 minutes, until the onions are soft.

Add the lentils and carrots, turn a couple of times in the oil, and pour in 2 quarts (2 L) water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water as needed to keep the lentils covered.

Add the wheat berries, the chickpeas, if using, the turmeric, the tomato paste, the Maraş pepper, and the spice blend. Stir to incorporate and add more water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, simmering for at least 20 minutes, until all the ingredients are very soft. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Purée the soup to a thick, chunky consistency with a stick blender, or transfer to a food processor and pulse several times.

In a skillet, over very low heat, warm the extra-virgin olive oil with the fresh and dried basil or tarragon  and plenty of pepper.

Serve the soup in bowls, adding swirls of the basil or tarragon-infused oil, decorating with herb leaves, and sprinklings of sumac, if you like. Also, add 1-2 tablespoons diced feta cheese, if you like.

NOTE: 

Precooking Pearl Barley, Wheat Berries, and Farro

Pearl barley, wheat berries, and farro need longer cooking than rice or bulgur, but their incomparable earthy, nutty flavor is ample compensation for the extra work. In order to be able to add the grains to stuffing and pilafs whenever you feel like it, precook 1 to 2 pounds (455 to 910 g) of your favorite grains and keep them in the freezer.

Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups (400 to 480 g) cooked grains

1 cup pearl barley, wheat berries, or farro

Place the grains in a pot and add cold water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer half the time recommended on the package. Cooking times vary greatly between brands, so carefully check the cooking times suggested on the package.

Taste, and if the grains are still quite hard, continue cooking. Taste again after 10 minutes. You want the grains al dente, not mushy. Drain and let cool completely, then transfer to a zip-top bag and freeze flat. They will keep for up to 6 months.

To finish cooking, take out the bag, beat on the counter to loosen the grains, and use as many as you need. Close the bag and return to the freezer.

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Adapted from Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts

Scroll down to find the basic recipe for the traditional soup or porridge. 

The two essential ingredients are transformed into a flavorful and nourishing ‘pasta’ for the winter months. Though I can’t prove it, I have a hunch that early agricultural communities, in different parts of the world, thought up methods to combine and preserve grain and dairy; this is why fermented ‘pasta’ comes in distinct regional variations throughout the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean.

I wouldn’t suggest that you make your own ksinohondro and/or  kishk if there were good-quality commercial alternatives. In Chania, Crete, women sell wonderful homemade ksinohondro at the weekly farmer’s markets of this beautiful city; but unless you know somebody on the island to buy it for you, this delicious, traditional staple is seldom available elsewhere in Greece. On Lesbos island a similar ‘pasta’ is called ‘trahana’ and is often shaped into cup-like forms.  

The word kishk, used for the staple throughout the Middle East (in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine), comes from the Persian kashk ; today kashk in Iran contains no grain and is a kind of fermented whey available in liquid and dried forms with which modern chefs in Europe and the US have started to experiment. But the old Persian word khoshk  meant ‘dry,’ so maybe the original Persian kashk was similar to the fermented and dried kishk (keshk or kishik) of the Eastern Mediterranean. In Lebanon, Syria and Palestine kishk is usually ground to powder after it dries.

Trahana is the equivalent Greek staple, called tarhana in Turkish.  Today it usually refers to pellets of fermented and dried dough made with wheat-flour and milk, occasionally including  aromatics, chilies, mashed vegetables or fruit. There is an ongoing dispute over the origins of trahana or tarhana, with some scholars claiming that it can be traced back to Persia (Iran) or to the Steppes of China; the Ottomans spread it to the west, they say. Other scholars, though, citing the Latin/Greek word tractós (a kind of dough), and the ancient tràgos (coarse grain) insist that trahana was a Greek ‘pasta’ that spread eastwards. As I have often stated, it is my belief that the words that name foodstuffs in our region are seldom a proof of the food’s origin, but nevertheless it is irresistible to speculate.

In Crete and some other Greek islands, the crumb-like pasta from coarsely cracked wheat mixed with milk and yogurt is called ksinohondros. Ksino  means “sour” and hondros is the ancient, as well as the regional term for coarse ground wheat and bulgur.

Whatever the name, origin or shape, this delicious staple is the basis for a common Eastern Mediterranean porridge, a hearty wholesome soup that nourished countless generations throughout the region. Today powdered Lebanese kishk is also used as a flavoring.  Its musky, pungent, cheesy flavor may be an acquired taste.  

Ksinohondro from Crete, and Lebanese Kishk

The process may seem long but the actual work – the mixing, stirring, or the brief cooking of the grain – takes little time. The most important step is the drying process, which traditionally took days as the crumbled mixture was spread on clean sheets to dry in the sun. Today the dehydrator or a low oven dry the ‘pasta’ in a few hours.

I wouldn’t suggest that you make your own ksinohondro and/or  kishk if there were good-quality commercial alternatives. In Chania, Crete, there are women selling wonderful homemade ksinohondro at the farmer’s markets of this beautiful city, but unless you know somebody on the island to buy it for you, this delicious, traditional pasta is seldom available elsewhere in Greece.

Following the old tradition, I use whole barley flour together with the bulgur. In the old days kishk, and trahana (or tarhana) was made with emmer – an ancestor of wheat – and barley, the resilient grain cultivated in the region. Barley was the staple of the Greek islands, grown on small terraced, arid, and windy pieces of land, where more ‘noble’ grains, like emmer or wheat couldn’t survive.

I give you the basic recipe for the ksinohondro of Crete, made by briefly boiling coarse bulgur and barley flour with milk and yogurt. To make the Lebanese kishk, a combination of fine bulgur, barley flour, and yogurt is left to ferment.  The only work needed is to stir the mixture daily until it reaches the desired sourness.

Scroll down to find the basic recipe for the traditional soup or porridge. 

Ksinohondro

Makes about 1 pound pasta

1 quart whole milk, preferably organic sheep or goat milk

3 cups plain sheep or goat milk yogurt (not thick)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon or more Maraş or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

2 ½  cups medium or coarse bulgur (semolina is an acceptable substitute)

1 cup whole barley flour

3 tablespoons lemon juice

In a thick-bottomed pot, stir together the milk, yogurt, salt and pepper flakes, if using. Heat over medium heat until very warm. Whisking steadily add the bulgur and barley and continue to whisk. When the mixture starts to boil, lower the heat and simmer, still stirring constantly for about 10 minutes or more, until very thick.  Remove from the heat and continue stirring for a few more minutes to prevent sticking. 

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and ladle about 1/2-cup-size pieces of the mixture onto the sheets.  Flatten them with a spatula or press between your fingers, and leave about a ½-inch space between them. You may need more than 2 pans.

Let cool completely overnight.  With a spatula invert the pieces and, depending on how sour (fermented) you like your ksinohondro, let stand at room temperature one more day – it will start to smell very yeasty and sour. Rub the pieces to break into crumbs, if you like, and spread on the trays.

Place the trays in an oven heated to the lowest temperature (about 150˚F or 70 C).

Let the crumbs dry, changing the position of the trays and tossing the pieces every now and then with spatulas, for about 4 hours. Turn the heat off and crack-open the oven door – use a wooden spoon to keep the door ajar.  Leave the trays in to cool slowly, preferably overnight.

The next day, close the door and warm the oven to 150˚F or 70˚C. Continue drying the ‘pasta,’ changing the position of the trays and tossing the crumbs every now and then for another 3 hours or more, until bone-dry and very hard.  Alternatively, you can dry ksinohondro in a dehydrator at 100-115˚F, for about 3 days.

Let cool completely and store in air-tight jars. Properly dried, ksinohondro keeps for years, like dried pasta.

Kishk

Depending on your kitchen’s temperature, and on how sour and pungent you like it, kishk needs 8-10 days to ferment. Stirring once or twice a day is all the work needed.

Makes about 12 ounces

1 cup fine bulgur

1 cup whole-wheat barley bulgur

1 pound natural goat or sheep milk yogurt (not thick)

1 cup full-fat, preferably sheep or goat milk

3 tablespoons lemon juice

In a large, non-reactive glass or metal bowl, mix the bulgurs with the yogurt, milk and lemon, stirring well. Cover with a clean towel and let rest, at room temperature, for 24 hours.

The next and the following 7-9 days stir well every morning, and in the evening as well, if possible. It is important to stir to prevent surface molding. The 5^th or 6^th day, it may start to smell quite sour. Taste and decide when you want to dry the kishk. Traditionally it is fermented for 9-10 days, but it is a matter of taste.

To dry, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread the mixture on the sheets, separating into large crumbs with a fork.

Place the trays in an oven heated to the lowest temperature (about 150˚F).

Let the crumbs dry, changing the position of the trays and tossing with spatulas every now and then, for about 3 hours. Turn the heat off and crack-open the oven door – use a wooden spoon to keep the door ajar.  Leave the trays in to cool slowly, preferably overnight.

The next day toss the crumbs, close the door and warm the oven to 150˚F. Continue drying the kishk, changing the position of the trays and tossing the crumbs every now and then, for another 2 hours or more, until bone-dry and very hard.  Alternatively, you can dry kishk in a dehydrator at 100-115˚F, for about 2 days. 

Let cool completely.  To follow the Lebanese tradition, grind the crumbs to a powder in batches, in a blender.  You can also store the crumbs in air-tight jars.  Properly dried, kishk keeps for years, like dried pasta.

Ksinohondro or Kishk Porridge (or soup)

Serves 4

6 cups broth, water, or 3 cups water and 2-3 cups fresh or canned chopped tomatoes

2/3 -1 cup ksinohondro or kishk (if shaped in larger pieces, as in the photo, soak in water for about 30 min to 1 hour before cooking)

Salt and Aleppo or Maraş pepper for sprinkling

Good fruity olive oil for drizzling (optional)

1 cup or more crumbled feta cheese, to taste  

2 cups olive-oil-fried croutons (optional)

In a thick-bottomed pan, bring 6 cups broth to a boil. Add ksinohondro or kishk, stir well and reduce the heat. Simmer, stirring every now and then for about 6-15 minutes or more, depending on the crumb size.  The porridge should be smooth and thick. If too crumbly, pulse a few seconds with a stick blender. Taste and lightly salt, since the feta you will add is quite salty. 

Drizzle with olive oil, if you like, and stir in the crumbled feta; then sprinkle with Aleppo or Maraş pepper and add fried bread croutons, if you like. 

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Just toasted pine nuts with chopped cilantro are also a fine, simpler topping for this comforting winter soup.

Serves 6-8 

About ½ cup olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion, or thinly sliced leek

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 ½ – 4 cups peeled and coarsely grated butternut squash –about 4 pounds (2 kilos) unpeeled squash

2-3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, as needed

Salt and red pepper flakes, preferably Aleppo or Maras pepper, to taste

½ cup brandy (or sweet wine)

1 cup full-fat Greek yogurt, or more to taste

TOPPING

1 cup green peas fried in olive oil together with ½ cup drained capers

½ cup toasted pine nuts

Extra Virgin Olive oil for drizzling (optional)

Heat the oil in a heavy four-liter saucepan. Add the onions or leek and sauté, stirring for 3 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, and sauté slowly until they are translucent –don’t let them brown. Stir in the garlic. Add the grated squash and sauté, stirring for 8-10 minutes until soft, then add 2 cups of the broth, cover and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 15 minutes. Puree the mixture with a stick-blender.

Up to this point the soup can be prepared in advance, even refrigerated or frozen.

Return the puree to the saucepan adding the rest of the broth -and more, if needed– stir and reheat slowly, then add the brandy or wine. Season with salt and pepper flakes, add the yogurt and stir well to mix; taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve topping each portion with sautéed peas and pine nuts, drizzling with some fruity olive oil, if you like.

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Scroll down for chicken magiritsa and a vegan one with mushrooms.

Adapted from The Foods of Greece.

A friend described to me the one her family prepared in Halki, a small island in the Dodecanese. In her family’s version, no innards are used because, on Halki as on all the Dodecanese islands, people do not roast the lamb on a spit, but slow roast it in a wood-burning oven, stuffing the cavity with rice and chopped innards. In Halki’s magiritsa, many lamb’s heads were boiled to make a very tasty stock. The heads were not boned, but as they cooked for many hours, even the bones softened. Each member of the family got one head and ate it with the broth. No scallions or dill were added to that unusual magiritsa.

Serves 6-8

Head, neck, some intestines, and liver of a young lamb, or 3 pounds lamb bones (see variation)

2 large onions, halved

Sea salt

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cups finely chopped scallions

1 small chili pepper, minced, or freshly ground pepper to taste

1-2 handfuls coarsely chopped outer leaves of romaine lettuce or spinach leaves (optional)  

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh dill

2 eggs

Juice of  about 1 1/2 – 2 lemons

Wash the lamb head and neck thoroughly and place in a pot with the onions. Cover with cold water, season with salt, and simmer for about 1 hour, skimming the surface several times to remove the accumulated froth.

Cut the intestines into several pieces and wash thoroughly under running water. If you like, slice them open so you can wash them more easily. In a separate pan, bring some salted water to a boil and add the intestines. Blanch for 2 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and discard the water. Chop the intestines finely. You don’t need more than 1 cup of chopped intestines.

The head and neck are done when the meat falls from the bones. Remove from the pot. Using a sharp knife, cut open the head and separate the meat from the bones. Remove the meat from the neck and cut all the meat into small pieces. Strain the stock and discard the onions. Let the stock cool, and remove the fat.

(Up to this point, the preparations can be made a day ahead. Refrigerate the meat and the stock, making it easier to skim off the congealed fat.)

To finish the soup, wash the liver well and cut it into small cubes. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil and sauté the liver with the scallions and chili pepper, if using. Add the finely chopped meat and intestines, together with 1-2 handfuls of coarsely chopped outer leaves of romaine lettuce or spinach, if using, and 1 cup of the dill, and turn a few times with a wooden spoon. Transfer the mixture to a pot and add the skimmed stock plus an equal amount of water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and add more pepper and salt if needed.

To make AVGOLEMONO Beat the eggs in a large bowl with about 2 spoonfuls of water and the juice of 1 lemon. Slowly add capfuls of the hot soup to the bowl, beating continuously with the whisk. When the egg mixture is very hot, pour it slowly into the pot, over very low heat, stirring well to prevent curdling. Taste and add more lemon juice if needed, sprinkle with the rest of the dill, and serve immediately.

VARIATION:

Chicken or Vegetarian Magiritsa

If you hate the taste of boiled lamb, you can make an equally tasty magiritsa with chicken livers and chicken stock.

There is even a meatless magiristsa: Sauté the scallions and dill, adding about 1 1/2 cup chopped mixed mushrooms, plus 1/2 cup dried wild mushrooms soaked in warm water for about 20 minutes, with their soaking liquid and, if you like, a few chopped spinach leaves or the outer leaves of romaine lettuce. Pour in vegetable stock and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Make the egg and lemon sauce as described above.

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Serves 4-6

1 packed quart very tender nettles about 6 ounces or 200 grams (wash the nettles with gloves, and discard only the thick stems, if any)

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic

2/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup warm water for 30 minutes

6-12 fresh morels –or dried, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes (optional)

1 cup dry white wine

6 large outer green leaves Romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped

3 bunches flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped (discard only the stem-ends)

Salt

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup thick Greek yogurt, and more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

A bunch of chervil or cilantro leaves, for garnish

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (optional)

Wearing gloves blanch the nettles in 1 1/2 quarts boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until well wilted. Remove with tongs or with a slotted spoon, and let drain in a colander. Reserve the cooking broth.

In a medium pot warm the olive oil in medium-high heat and sauté the garlic for 1 minute. Add the soaked porcini and their liquid as well as the morels, if using.

Sauté for 3-4 minutes stirring until tender, then carefully remove only the morels and set aside. Pour in the wine and add the chopped Romaine, the parsley and some salt. Toss several times, until the greens are wilted and soft. Transfer the greens from the pot and the drained nettles to the bowl of a food processor, add a few tablespoons of the nettle broth, and pulse several times to make a paste. You will have to scrape down all the bits that stick to the sides of the bowl.

At this point the Classic French cooking advises to pass the paste through a fine sieve in order to make a perfectly smooth soup. I love the somewhat chunky texture so I omit this step, but it is up to you.

Pour the green paste back to the pot and add the vegetable or chicken broth, and 1 cup of the nettle broth. Bring to a slow boil, and turn the heat down. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, half covering the pot, and stirring every now and then, until the soup thickens.

Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt and plenty of black pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in bowls adding 1-2 morels, if using, drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and garnishing with chervil or cilantro leaves and toasted pine nuts, if you like.

Serve extra yogurt on the side.

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Scroll down for the second day Pasta & Lentil I usually whip up with our leftover lentil soup.

See also the Lentil Soup with Pickled cabbage, and the Linguini with Spicy Lentils and Caramelized onions from my Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts. 

Makes 4 servings

4 cups water

1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic cloves

1/2–1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to taste

3 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock

Salt

1 cup pickled volvoi (wild hyacinth bulbs –see the intro), drained, or pickled pearl onions

2-3 tablespoons Greek red wine vinegar, or Kalamata balsamic vinegar, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint, plus some sprigs for garnish

Fruity, extra-virgin olive oil

In a large pot, combine the water, lentils and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves.

Wipe out the pot with paper towels. Heat the oil in the pot and sauté the garlic with the Aleppo pepper or pepper flakes over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the lentils and sauté for 1 minute. Add the reserved cooking liquid, the stock and very little salt — volvoi are usually very salted– bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the volvoi and vinegar, increase the heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding a few grindings of black pepper, if needed. Stir in the mint.

Ladle the soup into bowls drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Second Day Lentils with Pasta 

Add ditallini, or any small-size pasta (1 cup pasta for each 2 cups lentil) into the leftover lentil soup as you warm it, adding more broth and 1-2 tablespoons tomato paste, a dash of cumin and some ground coriander, if you like, as well as some smoked paprika. Simmer until the pasta is cooked.

Drizzle with fresh olive oil and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper and some parsley, chervil, or mint as you serve the lentil pasta.

Accompany with feta cheese, if you are not a vegan. 

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