Lentils with anchovies and capers on crispy toast
This Greek lentil soup is full of nourishing, earthy flavour, but what takes it from good to great is the umami-rich anchovy, caper and cream cheese toasts served alongside. A wonderful midweek dish that proves simple is often best.
This recipe is taken from Under The Olive Tree: Recipes From My Greek Kitchen by Irini Tzortzoglou (Headline, £25). Photography by David Loftus.
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 large onion , finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves , finely chopped
- 2 large carrots , finely sliced
- 100ml of extra virgin olive oil
- 500g of brown lentils
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes , or 3 beef tomatoes, skinned and chopped
- 2 tbsp of tomato purée
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2l vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar, or a few more tablespoons if needed
Toasts
- 8 anchovies , in oil, well drained and chopped
- 1 tbsp of capers , rinsed
- 2 tbsp of cream cheese
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 4 slices of bread, good-quality, toasted
- paprika , for sprinkling (optional)
To serve
- Greek yoghurt , or double cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp of fresh parsley , finely chopped
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Method
1
To make the soup, start by gently cooking the onion, garlic and carrots in half the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the lentils and stir for 2–3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, bay leaves, sugar and cumin, then add enough vegetable stock to cover the lentils by a few centimetres. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook until the lentils are tender. You will need to add more stock as they cook, and the time taken will depend on the type of lentils, but it will vary from 45 minutes to 1½ hours
2
When cooked, leave to cool a little, then remove the bay leaves and transfer to a blender. Blitz until you have a smooth purée consistency, then return the soup to the pan. If you like your soup to have a thinner consistency, add more stock. Season with salt and pepper, and add the vinegar, a tablespoon at a time, to taste. Bring back to the heat and warm thoroughly before serving
3
To make the anchovy and caper toast, place all the ingredients except the bread and paprika in a small food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. Cut the toasted bread into long thin pieces and spread sparingly with the paste and sprinkle with the paprika (if using)
4
Serve the soup with a swirl of Greek yoghurt or double cream, if you like, sprinkled with the parsley, with a drizzle of some good-quality extra virgin olive oil, and with the toast on the side
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Lentils with anchovies and capers on crispy toast
