Fakess (Greek Lentil Soup That'll Fill Your Soul)

Listen, mija, first thing - dice up that onion, carrots, and celery nice and small. Don't be lazy with the knife work, eh?

Heat up that olive oil in a big pan - medium-low heat. Throw in your sofrito base - the onion, carrots, and celery. Let them get happy together.

Stir those vegetables every few minutes so they don't get burned. Ay, Dios mío, nobody wants bitter vegetables! After like 7-10 minutes when they're all soft and smelling good, add the garlic and bay leaves. (The vegetables should look like they're sweating, not browning hard)

Pour in that chicken broth and turn the heat down to low. Just a gentle simmer, como mi abuela used to do.

Now, check those lentils good - pick through them for any little stones or weird stuff. Trust me, you don't want to bite into a rock!

Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear, then put them in a big pot with 6 cups of water.

Bring those lentils to a rolling boil over high heat - when they're bubbling like crazy, cover and turn down to medium.

Let them cook for 25 minutes, then add the other 2 cups of water and cook 10 more minutes. The lentils should be tender but not mushy.

Take the pot off the heat. Scoop out 2 cups of the cooked lentils and put them aside - these will give texture later.

Add all that vegetable mixture to the pot with the remaining lentils. Fish out those bay leaves - nobody wants to bite into one of those!

Take your immersion blender and blend everything until it's smooth and creamy. This is what makes it fakess instead of just lentil soup, mija.

Stir in the tomato paste and those reserved lentils. The soup should be thick but not like cement.

Heat everything up over low heat until it's simmering again. Add that balsamic vinegar - it brightens everything up, you'll see.

Season with salt and pepper. Taste it! Adjust until it makes you happy. Serve it up hot with some good bread.