Beans’ soup: a Greek traditional dish

Beans soup (fasolada) is a very common food in Greece, like moussaka or pastitsio, and is also considered as the food of the poor as it is cheap compared to meat related dishes.

Ingredients: 300-400 gr of white kidney beans, 2-3 celery sticks chopped, 1 red pepper chopped, 2 onions chopped (in this instance I used about 10 small onions that I had handy which is about the same), a couple of spring onions chopped, 2-3 carrots chopped, 2-3 tomatoes chopped, 1 tbsp of tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil

As a rule, I boil the legumes for 15’ and throw the initial water and then re-boil with all the ingredients. Also, white kidney beans need to soak in clean water before cooking for about 8hrs. If the legume is very firm, you can put 1tsp of soda powder in the soaking water.

After you soak the beans for 8hrs, put them in a pot and add water to richly cover them. Beans need to get into the boiling process slowly, this is why we put them in the cold water and let them reach boiling at their own time. Pay special attention and don’t put the beans in boiling water because in that case beans go through a shock and become firm.

After 15’, strain the beans and leave them on the side. In a pressure cooker, sauté the onions and spring onions in the olive oil. Add the pepper, the celery, the carrots, and some pepper while tossing. Add the beans and water to cover them. Add the tomato paste and the tomatoes. Close the pressure cooker and let your food cook for at least 30’ – needless to say that time varies due to the various boil-ability of the legumes. Open and add some salt. Salt is added in the end because this is also a firming factor.

Enjoy!