Tahini soup with rice for Good Friday

The fasting period is in its peak for the Greeks since the Holy Week started last Sunday. During the last week of Lent, before the Greek Orthodox Easter, many Greeks around the world observe the olive oil-free fast. On Good Friday especially, the table is never really set and people observing Lenten customs to the letter will eat such things as steamed shellfish, dried pulses cooked in water without any oil in, lettuce dipped in vinegar (signifying compassion with the ordeals of Christ) and plenty of raw vegetables. Each region has its own customs like in Makedonia and Thrace, where people eat preserves made with dried fruit and without any sugar in, drinking up the juice, while in other parts of the country they eat raw broad beans soaked in water and sprinkled with rock salt and oregano as a fortifying snack... Tahini soup is one of those dishes that a lot of people love to eat during fasting periods and especially on Good Friday. It is so nutritious and so filling thanks to the sesame which is the base for the tahini paste. And although there is oil in the sesame seeds it seems that it is one of those ingredients that they are allowed to be eaten that day. There are a few variations of this soup around the country but all of them start and finish to this unique ingredient: the tahini paste. Here we have a version that the monks of the monasteries of Mount Athos follow and believe me that over there some of the most nutritious, healthy and delicious cooking is taking place all year round although meat is never involved in any recipe!

Ingredients (for 4-6 people):
8 tbsp of tahini paste
1 tea-cup of arborio rice
2 lemons, the juice
2 carrots, finely grated
2 tbsp of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
10 tea-cups of water

Method:
In a pot cook the rice with the water and the salt in medium heat and when the rice is tender take off the heat drizzle with the lemon juice and stir the soup.

Put the tahini paste in a large bowl and dissolve it by slowly adding into the bowl ladlefuls of the hot soup while stirring vigorously with a whisk. Continue until the paste is completely dissolved and gets to the temperature of the hot soup.

Empty the tahini mixture into the pot with the soup and gently stir. Add the grated carrot and the parsley into the pot, stir and serve immediately while the soup is still hot.

*** Don't put the pot back on the heat because the tahini will curdle.