Lettuce Patch Gardens

Sustainably grown artisan vegetables

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Fassolatha: Greek Bean Soup

According to food historians, fassolatha has been around since ancient Greek times. It is the national dish of Greece, representing the best of the Greek way of cooking: legumes, vegetables, herbs, and olive oil. Whether you make it with tomato or lemon, culinary tradition dictates that fassolatha must be served with crusty bread, feta cheese, and black olives.

1 1/2 cups of dry white beans (Great Northern or cannellini) rinsed, soaked 24 hours and drained

2 bay leaves

2 carrots, sliced or cut in chunks

1 large mild onion, grated

4-8 stems of wild celery or cutting celery (or 5-6 stalks of celery), leaves and stalks, chopped

1 14 oz. can plum tomatoes, chopped

2/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

1 teaspoon of pepper (or to taste)

flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

8-10 cups of water

Place drained beans and bay leaves in a large soup pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves.

Add carrots, onion, celery, and simmer for 1 hour longer.

Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and olive oil, and cook for 30 minutes. The beans should be soft and creamy, but not to the point of disintegrating.

Remove from heat, season to taste, and serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with chopped parsley. Fassolatha bean soup is served warm or at room temperature.

Alternate Preparation:

To make "white" fassolatha (without tomatoes), leave out the tomatoes, cook as above, and just before serving, stir in the juice of 1 lemon.

Preparation tip:

During the simmering time, you may need to add more water. Make sure to add boiling water, and not more than a half of a cup at a time. Fassolatha is not a an especially thick soup, but should not be watery.

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