When I told my mom I put potato in Louvana instead of rice she said! Oh well that is not the right way to make it!! And she was somewhat right! According to my friend Eleni @myfamilysfooddiary- whose recipe was the first to pop up when I searched Louvana and who knows great cooking, it is
a traditional Cypriot soup using yellow split peas and rice essentially. The lemon juice used gives it a nice taste of acidity and adds to the Vitamin C boost we all need in the winter. You can make this soup with potatoes instead of rice, i just find that using rice is easier as there is one less thing to chop. It is the perfect soup for a meat free meal also! These are her words and I couldn’t agree more! However this is my version of Louvana and one you must try!
Ingredients
2 Tbls olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium leeks chopped, also part of the green part
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped,
salt and freshly black pepper
2 Yukon Gold potatoes unpeeled cut into small pieces
2 springs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 C yellow split lentils
2 Tbls red wine vinegar
Lemon and black olives to serve
Preparation
Step 1
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, leeks, celery, and garlic season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 10–12 minutes. Add potatoes, Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are just softened, 8–10 minutes. Add thyme sprigs, bay leaves, add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until lentils are very soft and falling apart, 1½–2 hours. Then add the red wine vinegar.
Step 2
Remove thyme sprigs, and bay leaves from soup. Add with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Serve soup with lemon juice and black olives.
