← Nouns Cooking · Greek

Ingredients

• 500 g dried cannellini or navy beans
• 120 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3 Carrot, diced
• 3 celery sticks, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 1 can tin of chopped tomatoes (400 g)
• 1 tbsp Tomato purée (paste)
• 1 Bay leaves
• 1 pinch sweet or hot paprika
• 1.8 l Water
• salt and black pepper
• 1 Lemon, cut into wedges (optional)

Method

1. Soak the beans in plenty of cold water for 12 hours or overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water, bring to the boil for 5 min, then drain again; this helps them cook evenly.
2. Heat half the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic for 8–10 min until softened.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, bay, paprika and the water. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, partly cover and simmer for 1 hour.
4. Stir in the rest of the olive oil and a good amount of salt and pepper. Simmer for 20–30 min more, until the beans are completely soft and some have broken down to thicken the soup.
5. Serve in deep bowls with an extra drizzle of oil, lemon wedges, olives and bread.

Tips

• Add the salt only once the beans are soft; salting early can keep the skins tough.
• Greeks often eat it with feta, sardines or pickled vegetables on the side.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

My Greek Dish Dimitra's Dishes