Simple Trahana Soup With Lemon and Olive Oil
Updated Nov. 15, 2022
- Total Time
- 25 to 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups sour bulgur trahana
- 8cups water, vegetable stock, or chicken stock
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3tablespoons lemon juice, strained
- 6tablespoons crumbled feta
- Plain Greek yogurt for garnish (optional)
- Chopped fresh herbs for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
226 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 896 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium soup pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat and add trahana. Stir until coated with oil, about 1 minute. Add water or stock and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often, until trahana is tender and nutty tasting and the broth slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes if using home-made bulgur trahana (if you use semolina or flour trahana the time will only be 8 to 12 minutes and the mixture will be more like a porridge).
- Step 2
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Spoon into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil and a tablespoon of crumbled feta. Garnish with plain yogurt if desired and chopped fresh herbs such as mint, parsley or dill.
- Advance preparation: If you use bulgur trahana, which does not continue to thicken the way flour or semolina trahana does, you can make this up to 3 days ahead and keep in the refrigerator.
Private Notes
Comments
My wife Agni is from Cyprus and imports her trahana from there. She uses cubed halloumi cheese instead of feta and does not add yoghurt or herbs. Her mother was a professional cook and a stickler for tradition. When I lived in Cyprus many of my male relatives talked of taking this soup into the mountains for lunch as they tended their sheep. They would add chopped fresh hot long green peppers and sometimes raw onion to spice things up a bit.
This was delicious! I used vegetable broth and thought that imparted a lovely flavor, then seasoned at the end with feta and parsley. I would definitely try again with other herbs - especially mint - but don't think it needs the yogurt.
I made this twice. The first time I wasn't that impressed and thought it wasn't worth the effort of making trahana from scratch. I still had a lot of trahana, however, so I made the soup again many months later and loved it. Of course the quality of the stock, the herbs one uses, etc. can make a big difference. (Plus by then I had forgotten how much effort it took to make the trahana.) The second time I made the soup I skipped the feta (since I didn't have any) and added mint.
I am not really sure why I decided to make this, except I had been through a round of dinners and parties, and needed to get back to healthy. I got the trahana and made it for an early lunch today. I must say, for something so very simple, it actually WAS comforting and soothing. I'm glad I have a big bag of it because I want to whip this up often. I used a bouillon cube and some dill in my fridge that still had a bit of life and nothing could be easier. I even forgot the cheese.
I used trahana from Diane Kochilas' website store--- the lemon and dill were excellent along with the feta. I tossed in some baby peas when serving. It was delicious--this kind of recipe calls for high quality ingredients as there are so few. A good vegetable stock imparts a nice flavor. I will have for lunch tomorrow--- chilled.
I thought this was good without being great. The kind of dish you could have one bowl of but don't want seconds of. I wonder if it would be good with sautéed onions, before adding in the trahana?