Manestra

Once summer is over and it gets colder again, the time is right for a warming soup. Today I would like to present you Manestra, a delicious and super easy greek one-pot-soup.

For 4 servings, you only need the following seven ingredients:

-         2 cups whole, peeled tomatoes (preferably roasted tomatoes)

-         1 ½ cups orzo, the typical Greek pasta

-         1/3 cup olive oil

-         1 cup chopped onions

-         2 tbsp dried, crushed Greek oregano

-         1 tsp salt/freshly ground pepper

-         5 cups water

Make sure to use whole, peeled tomatoes and drain off any sauce they may be packed in as you only want the tomatoes themselves. You can break them up easily with a fork and they will blend perfectly into the soup.

The only herb in Manestra is Greek oregano. If you can, try to get Greek oregano on the stem as the flavour is stronger and brighter and goes just perfect with tomatoes.

Start with heating the olive oil in a pot and add the onions once it is hot. Saute them over lower heat until they are soft. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, pepper and orzo. Stir all the ingredients so they are well combined. Cook them on low heat for five more minutes. Add the water and cook on low heat for approximately 25 minutes until the orzo is soft. Stir frequently to make sure the orzo does not stick to the bottom of your pot. The low heat is very important to first bring all the flavours together perfectly and second that the orzo does not burn to the ground. If you notice that some orzo starts sticking to the ground, just try to loosen them with your spoon.

You can serve your Manestra hot with some crusty bread and fresh oregano leaves on top. You can also add a little bit of grated parmesan. If you want to reheat it, add a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the soup because the orzo absorbs the soup liquid the longer it sits.

We hope you enjoy this delicious Greek dish!