Greek · Authentic-ish Greek
Soupa Trahana
370 kcal a serving, against 407 for the traditional version. That is 37 kcal off, or 9%, with 20.9g of protein. Serves 6. 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
A peasant soup made by boiling dried trahana in a rich chicken broth or whole milk. The bowl is finished by aggressively stirring in melted brown butter or sheep's milk butter. It is usually served with huge blocks of full-fat feta cheese crumbled directly into the hot liquid, making a dense, oily broth.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter and whole milk down to fat-free Greek yoghurt and a splash of olive oil
Boiling the grains in chicken stock and finishing with zero-fat yoghurt mimics the sour, fermented flavour of authentic trahana without the heavy dairy fat. The olive oil is just there to soften the onions.
What it costs you. You lose the nutty, slick mouthfeel of browned butter floating on the surface. The yoghurt makes it wonderfully creamy, but it lacks that rich, glossy finish.
Massive chunks of feta down to a strict 50g garnish
Feta is brilliant but carries a lot of fat. By restricting it to a small garnish, you still get the salty punch on the top of the bowl while drastically cutting the heavy load.
What it costs you. You don't get those big, melting pockets of cheese hiding at the bottom of the bowl. You have to make do with a surface scattering.
Adding tinned chickpeas to the bulgur wheat base
Bulgur provides great texture, but it is mostly carbohydrate. Tossing in a tin of chickpeas boosts the fibre and pushes the protein up, turning a light starter into a proper main course.
What it costs you. What you've got is a chunky stew. A traditional smooth soup anymore is a different dish and you know where to find it. The chickpeas interrupt the soft comfort of the boiled grains.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 407 | 370 |
| Protein | 15g | 20.9g |
| Fat | 23.8g | 9.2g |
| Saturated fat | 14.2g | 2.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 35.6g | 53.7g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 3.7g | 5.6g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Greek prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk, celery.
The method is in the book
I think this is a massive win. There's no point pretending it has the deep richness of the brown butter, but the tempered yoghurt creates a velvety texture that feels completely authentic. The chickpeas add a brilliant bite, delivering exactly the sour, savoury Greek flavours you want on a cold night.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Greek, along with 56 more. Buy the paperback