Greek-Style Bean Soup
By Sasha MarxPublished on January 6, 2017
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You can buy brown tepary beans by clicking here. You can also substitute kidney beans one for one for the tepary beans.
This recipe can be cooked without the overnight soak by using a pressure cooker: Reduce water in step 1 to 1,200 grams/5 ⅓ cups. In step 1 dissolve salt and baking soda in water in pressure cooker. Add beans, lock pressure-cooker lid in place, and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain high pressure. Remove pot from heat. Quick-release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Do not drain beans. Proceed with step 2 as written.
Instructions
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda in water in Dutch oven. Add beans, cover, and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Bring beans (still in soaking liquid) to boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Do not drain beans.
- Meanwhile heat 1/4 cup oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add softened vegetables, broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves to pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until soup has thickened and flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in vinegar and season with salt to taste. Divide soup among warmed bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Soup’s up.
Yield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe was created to highlight the remarkable brown tepary bean, but also works well with kidney beans. Drought-resistant tepary beans are native to the American southwest and northern Mexico but may become more widespread, as agriculture will have to adapt to the effects of climate change in the near future. If that’s the case, we figure it’s high time we start developing recipes using tepary beans. Brown tepary beans, when dried, are small and flat and look a bit more like lentils than common beans. With that visual similarity in mind, we decided to try substituting them for lentils in a take on the traditional Greek faki soupa, one of my favorite versions of lentil soup. After testing different soaking and cooking methods, we determined that soaking the beans overnight in water with a little salt and baking soda before simmering reduced the cooking time and yielded especially tender, creamy beans. Both salt and baking soda work to weaken cell-wall structure; the alkalinity of baking soda helps dissolve hemicelluloses, and sodium displaces magnesium, which facilitates the dissolving of cell-wall pectins. However, the baking soda also weakens the cell-wall structure of the other vegetables in the soup. In order to maintain the texture of the vegetables, we sauté them separately and add them to the pot partway through cooking. In keeping with the Greek dish that inspired this recipe, the soup is finished with a healthy splash of red wine vinegar and some fresh parsley to brighten things up.
Before You Begin
You can buy brown tepary beans by clicking here. You can also substitute kidney beans one for one for the tepary beans.
This recipe can be cooked without the overnight soak by using a pressure cooker: Reduce water in step 1 to 1,200 grams/5 ⅓ cups. In step 1 dissolve salt and baking soda in water in pressure cooker. Add beans, lock pressure-cooker lid in place, and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain high pressure. Remove pot from heat. Quick-release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Do not drain beans. Proceed with step 2 as written.
Instructions
- Dissolve 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda in water in Dutch oven. Add beans, cover, and soak at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. Bring beans (still in soaking liquid) to boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until beans are tender, about 45 minutes. Do not drain beans.
- Meanwhile heat 1/4 cup oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add softened vegetables, broth, tomato paste, and bay leaves to pot and stir to combine. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until soup has thickened and flavors have melded, about 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in vinegar and season with salt to taste. Divide soup among warmed bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil. Soup’s up.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments