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Recipe: Tahinosoupa, Greek Tahini Soup for Lent (and Beyond)

Name: Tahinosoupa, Greek Tahini Soup for Lent (and Beyond)
Cuisine: Athens
Ingredients: 20 gr porcini mushrooms1 onion, chopped1 leek, chopped (green part too)1 garlic clove, chopped1 tbsp sunflower oil1.3 liter hot vegetable broth80 gr orzo60 gr tahini40 ml lemon juice4 tbsp chopped dill1 tbsp chopped chives to serveSaltFreshly ground black pepper

By Carolina Doriti

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Recipe Information

There are several variations on this simple recipe. For instance, a bit of tomato, or mushrooms with herbs are often added in the soup, or a variety of other vegetables like a combination of carrot, potato and celeriac, which are pureed for a velvety result.

The version I’m sharing is one that I adapted from a monastery recipe from Agion Oros (Mount Athos) and primarily features mushrooms. The typical recipe would boil the mushrooms, onions and dill, and directly add in the orzo or rice. I have added a few more flavors to make it pleasurable for any occasion and not just for Lent (although it still follows the Lenten dietary rules). I use a vegetable broth instead of water, and I made it with dried porcini mushrooms, but other types of mushrooms or a mix of either fresh or dried, will also work great.

Ingredients

20 gr porcini mushrooms

1 onion, chopped

1 leek, chopped (green part too)

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1.3 liter hot vegetable broth

80 gr orzo

60 gr tahini

40 ml lemon juice

4 tbsp chopped dill

1 tbsp chopped chives to serve

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Step One

Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 20 minutes. Strain but keep the water.

Step Two
Place a large saucepan on medium high heat. Add in the sunflower oil and once hot, sauté the onion and leek, stirring, until soft and glossy. Add the mushrooms and garlic and stir for another minute. Pour in the mushroom liquid and hot vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low and add salt to taste. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.

Step Three

Bring heat up again to medium high and when it is boiling add in the orzo. Boil for about 7-8 minutes until the orzo is cooked. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl or pitcher add the tahini and lemon juice and whisk. It will be very thick. Add in some of the hot soup into the tahini – a couple of ladles each time – while whisking gently. The tahini should all dissolve well and the mix should gently warm up from the soup liquid.

Step Four

Pour the tahini into the soup, mix and add in the chopped dill as well. Serve and add black pepper and chopped chives on top.

Written & photos by Carolina Doriti

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