Fasolatha

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Greek Bean Soup

Serves 4-6

From: Thomy Iuppa

Ingredient

  • ½ lb lima beans – small or medium size (soaked over night in water)
  • 2 carrots finely sliced
  • 4 sticks of celery finely sliced
  • 1 yellow onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic finely sliced
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 pinch of dry oregano
  • ½ bunch fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1 cup tomato sauce (optional) or tomato puree

Cover beans in cold water in a deep pot and bring to a boil. When the water starts boiling, lower the temperature to very low.

Boil the beans in very low temperature in an almost completely covered pot till tender (can be pierced with a fork) – it will take 2-3 hours.

Add to the beans the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and olive oil and let them cook till the vegetables are tender over medium temperature. Near the end add the salt and pepper, the oregano and the parsley.

Serve with lemon juice, fresh bread and Kalamata olives on the side.

If you prefer your bean soup to have the taste of tomato, skip the lemon juice and add tomato sauce (or tomato puree, or tomato paste dissolved in some water) when you add to the soup the vegetables.

Note: On very strict fasting days, skip the olive oil all together – the soup is just as tasty without it, but this time you will not have the option of tomato taste. No oil bean soup is better if it has the lemon juice flavor.

Serve with fresh bread and olives.

Fasolatha



Greek Bean Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredient

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large onions, peeled, halved, and sliced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
  • 2 celery ribs, trimmed and sliced thin
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 pound great northern or other small white beans.
  • 1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
  • 1 fresh hot pepper (optional)
  • 8 cups water
  • Salt, pepper to taste
  • Fresh strained juice of 1/2 lemon or
  • 2-3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  1. Soak beans overnight according to package directions
  2. Heat 1/2 the olive oil in a large soup pot and saute the onions until wilted.
  3. Add the carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until soft. Add the beans and toss gently to coat with oil. Add the tomatoes, hot pepper, and water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer soup uncovered, for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until the beans are very tender.
  4. Just before removing from heat, adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice or vinegar.

Yield: 6 servings