Fasolada

I had no idea that there were national foods until I saw it as a theme during this blogging marathon. Back in India, it was norm during our school days to learn about our national animal, bird, flower and so on but I had never come across this "national food" thing. I wondered why and it turns out that India has no national food after all. It is not surprising considering the fact that the food varies vastly from state to state there. 
When I went through the wiki list of national foods, most of the names seemed alien to me at first glance and I started wondering whether I would be able to find vegetarian recipes at all that suit my taste. A little time spent on researching those names lead to not only interesting vegetarian recipes but also this vegan recipe called fasolada from traditional Greek kitchen.
Fasolada / Fasoulada / Fasolia literally means beans. Fasolada pronounced fasolatha is a hearty, bean based soup. This healthy, filling soup is one of the national foods of Greece. White beans are slowly simmered along with the other vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, tomato and parsley until they are softly cooked and seasoned. Olive oil is generously used in the traditional recipe but I used it sparingly.

Ingredients: (2 Servings)
1/2 cup white beans (I used navy beans.)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 big onion, finely minced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 big carrot, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup celery cubes
Puree from 1 tomato
Few sprigs of parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Method:
* I pressure cooked the navy beans ahead. If you don't have a pressure cooker, soak the beans overnight to cook them fast. The soaked beans then can be cooked in a sauce pan along with the vegetables.
* Heat oil in a pan and add onion and garlic. Fry until they turn pinkish.
* Add carrot, celery, tomato puree, parsley and about a cup of water. Cook until vegetables are tender. If navy beans have not been cooked earlier, they can be added as well along with the veggies. Add enough water so that the beans are immersed in water through out the cooking process. Simmer until beans are soft.
* Add the seasonings at the end of cooking, simmer for few minutes and turn off the stove.
* It is served with crusty bread and olive oil. I served it warm with bread croutons.

This is going to be a part of BM # 37 under the theme of "National Foods".

Comments