Greek bean soup is a very traditional, Greek dish. It is cooked with or without tomato sauce (white or red bean soup). My mother usually cooks white bean soup without tomato sauce during winter and red bean soup with fresh tomato during the summer. Today, we will cook the white bean soup.
Ingredients for Greek bean soup
4 portions
- 500gr medium beans
- 3 carrots sliced in rounds
- 1 celeriac sliced in small pieces
- ½ bunch of celery sliced in medium pieces
- Lemon juice (as much as we want)
- Salt-Pepper
- Olive oil
There are many categories of beans; some of them require soaking before they are cooked and some not. Always prefer the present year’s crop. The mustier the beans the more difficult it is for them to be boiled.
Method
Add the beans in the pot, cover them with tepid water and boil in medium fire for 15 minutes.
Then, drain the beans and wash them out very well.
Place the pot on the fire, add the olive oil, the celeriac, the onion and stir for a while.
Add the beans, the carrots, the salt and pepper. Cover the bean soup with hot water.
An hour later, as the bean soup boils, add the celery and fill in with some water (it has to be warm in order not to reduce the rhythm of boiling- as the old housekeepers say “In order not to leave the food to lose its healthiness”). Try the soup in order to check if it needs more salt, and boil for 30 more minutes in weak fire until our bean soup becomes mushy.
When the bean soup is ready, remove the pot from the fire, serve in a deep dish, add some lemon and one tablespoon of fresh olive oil.
The bean soup is accompanied by feta cheese, olives and crusty bread.