Lentils from Eglouvi, Lefkada/ Φακές από την Εγκλουβή Λευκάδας

The high nutritional value of the lentils from Eglouvi, a  village on the island of Lefkada in Greece, is explained in depth here. 

And below, I am sharing with you the recipe passed on to my dear mother by her own mother, who in turn got it from her own one, and so on and so forth, up until the platinum chain of handing over the precious information from generation to generation and from pot to pot leaves one sole element intact: the multi-coloured, gem-like grace of this humble seed floating on the ethereal, liquid transparency of filtered Irish H2O streaming from my tap. 

Be easy on the garlic (my granny used to put 12 garlic cloves in the pot for extra-challenging breath!)

for 4 people:

2 cups of lentils (from Eglouvi if you are lucky)

1 grated onion

3-4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves

oregano

salt & pepper

1/2 glass of olive oil

1 sp. of tomato paste

1 vegetable stock
2-3 peeled potatoes (optional)
vinegar

Boil the lentils, strain and put back in the pot with water and all the ingredients except the olive oil, in medium heat. When the soup starts to boil add the olive oil and the stock. Taste it to see if it needs more salt. If it is getting thick add water.

30-40 minutes later, when the lentils are velvety and soft, sprinkle a bit of vinegar and serve with feta cheese and bread.