Lenten Recipes: Spinach Soup (Shomini Aboor)

4 cups hot water

1/2 cup lentils, picked over to discard residue

1/2 cup cracked wheat, large

1-2 cloves garlic, mashed

1-2 teaspoons salt to taste

1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, broken up

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 10-ounce package whole-leaf frozen spinach (or its equivalent in fresh spinach leaves)

1 teaspoon crushed, dried or 2 tablespoons fresh, minced basil

1. Bring water to the boil, add lentils and wheat, bring to the boil again and let simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Add garlic, salt, tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer additional 20 to 30 minutes until lentils are soft.

3. Add spinach and basil during last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time.  Remove from heat and serve piping hot.

Yeilds: 6 servings

Note: Leftover soup will thicken as it cools so you might have to add some boiling water when reheating.

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The 40 Days of Lent: Selected Armenian Recipes by Alice Antreassian Order from St. Vartan Gift and Book Store (212) 686-0710 Item # CB007 $14.50 $9 shipping $1.50 each additional item

Try these other Lenten recipes:

Spinach Soup (Shomini Aboor)

Armenian Potato Salad (Haygagan Kednakhuntzori Aghtsan)

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Derevi Patooyt or Yalanchi)

Broiled Fish Kebob (Khorovadz Tsoog)

Rice Pilaf with Eggplant (Sumpoogov Prinzi Yeghintz)

Peas in Tomato Sauce (Loligov Volorn)

Petites Choregs (Manr Choregner)

Orange Sesame Crisps (Nareenchi Shooshmayov Pleet)