Fasolada

Method

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1. Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water, bring to the boil and simmer 5 minutes. Drain again.

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2. Heat 100 ml of the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onions, carrots and celery over medium heat for 12 minutes until softened and sweet.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

3. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomato purée and paprika and cook 2 minutes.

   Mark done Start 1 min timer

4. Add the beans, tomatoes, bay, oregano and 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil.

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5. Reduce to a simmer and cook, partly covered, for 60 to 80 minutes until the beans are completely tender.

   Mark done Start 60 min timer

6. Now add the salt and plenty of pepper, and simmer 10 minutes more.

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7. Mash a ladleful of beans against the side of the pot and stir back in to thicken the broth.

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8. Stir in the remaining 50 ml of olive oil and the parsley off the heat.

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9. Serve warm rather than piping hot, with a further slick of olive oil over each bowl, lemon and olives.

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Chef’s Tips

• Salt at the end. Salting dried beans early genuinely does keep the skins tough.
• Use olive oil you would happily dress a salad with. It is the dominant flavour.
• Greeks eat this warm rather than scalding, which lets the olive oil flavour come through.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• Feta, olives and crusty bread
• Raw onion and lemon
• A dry white such as Assyrtiko

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days — it improves — and freeze 3 months. Add a fresh slick of oil when reheating.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.