Greek beans soup of the summer

This is a very nutritious dish that we make in all Greek houses for centuries now. In Greek it is called “Fasolada”. It is also the dish of the poor as it is cheap and the ingredients easy to find.

Ingredients: 500 medium sized dried beans (cannellini beans or white Italian kidney beans or lima beans), 3 carrots chopped in pieces of your preference, 1 medium onion chopped, ½ bunch celery chopped, 70gr tomato paste, 1.5 ltr of vegetables broth, 2 tbsp of olive oil (I am on a diet and thus don’t use too much olive oil. BUT! You should use more – at least ½ cup - because legumes ask for it!), salt and pepper

I put my beans in a deep pot (later we will use the pressure cooker thus use it from the beginning) filled 1/2 with water. I boil them without salt for 35’. I strain them and keep them on the side. I boil some water in the water boiler.

Back to my pressure cooker: I put the olive oil to sauté the onion, the carrots and the tomato paste. I put the vegetables broth, the beans and the celery. I add extra hot water if necessary and close the pressure cooker. Let it cook in high heat for 10’ and then for ½ hr in medium heat. I open the pressure cooker and my food is nearly ready. Season it and add any fresh olive you deem necessary.

Serve with olives, or feta cheese, or salted fish.

Enjoy!