Persian Bean Soup
Good soup takes time, but good soup is worth waiting for - a smooth, hearty brew made flavourful by turmeric, mint and lemon. Three varieties of beans as well as lentils make the texture and taste pleasurable. As with most soups, change it according to your own tastes. This recipe is adapted from a Persian Noodle Soup called Ash Reshtesh, found on The Delicious Crescent. That version calls for the addition of noodles, which would make the soup even more substantial. Whichever way you make it, you'll have a meal-in-one, nourishing and delicious.
There are always more Soup options on North End Nosh - creamy, brothy, noodly, vegan, vegetarian - try them all, here, and experiment with these Hints to make you recipes different and better each time
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions or combination of onions and leeks
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons dried mint or 6 tablespoons fresh mint, basil or herb of your choice
1 -1 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned kidney beans
1 - 1 1//2 cups cooked or canned white beans
6 cups water or beef stock, adjusted as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup green lentils
2 cups packed spinach, or arugula, whole or chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 1/2 cup dried
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice, adjusted as needed
1 cup sour cream, yogurt, crème fraiche or kashk (optional)
More sauteed onion for garnishing the soup (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large soup pot and sauté the onions/leeks over medium-low heat until they're soft and golden brown, which may take about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the minced garlic after 10 minutes of sautéing the onions. Don't stint on this stage - the onions need time to become nice and jammy.
Turn off the heat and stir in the turmeric. Do not let it burn.
Remove 1/3 of the onion/turmeric mixture and combine it with the dried mint while it's still hot. Set aside to use as a garnish for the finished soup.
Let the rest of the onion/turmeric mixture cool and stir 1/2 of it into the sour cream. Chill the sour cream mixture until the soup is ready.
Add all the beans and chickpeas, water or stock, salt and pepper to the rest of the onions in the pot and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes or more until the beans are very soft. Then add the lentils and cook another 15 minutes.
Next add all the spinach and parsley. Stir and let it simmer for about 15-30 minutes until it reaches a soft, mushy and thick soup consistency. Add more water or stock as needed.
In a small bowl, combine a few tablespoons of soup and the flour, whisking well to make sure there are no lumps. Stir this back into the simmering soup.Tip: Alternatively, skip the flour/water and blend a very small portion of the soup with an immersion blender, then add it back to give the soup a creamy consistency.
Stir the lemon juice into the soup according to your taste.
Adjust the consistency, salt, lemon juice and other seasonings to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with dollops of the sour cream and onion-mint mixture. Optionally, top with more onions as a garnish.
You can freeze this soup in freezer safe containers. Thaw and reheat, adding water or stock to adjust the consistency.
Good soup takes time, but good soup is worth waiting for - a smooth, hearty brew made flavourful by turmeric, mint and lemon. Three varieties of beans as well as lentils make the texture and taste pleasurable. As with most soups, change it according to your own tastes. This recipe is adapted from a Persian Noodle Soup called Ash Reshtesh, found on The Delicious Crescent. That version calls for the addition of noodles, which would make the soup even more substantial. Whichever way you make it, you'll have a meal-in-one, nourishing and delicious.
There are always more Soup options on North End Nosh - creamy, brothy, noodly, vegan, vegetarian - try them all, here, and experiment with these Hints to make you recipes different and better each time
Time: 2 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions or combination of onions and leeks
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons dried mint or 6 tablespoons fresh mint, basil or herb of your choice
1 -1 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned kidney beans
1 - 1 1//2 cups cooked or canned white beans
6 cups water or beef stock, adjusted as needed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup green lentils
2 cups packed spinach, or arugula, whole or chopped
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped or 1/2 cup dried
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons lemon juice, adjusted as needed
1 cup sour cream, yogurt, crème fraiche or kashk (optional)
More sauteed onion for garnishing the soup (optional)
Method
Heat the oil in a large soup pot and sauté the onions/leeks over medium-low heat until they're soft and golden brown, which may take about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the minced garlic after 10 minutes of sautéing the onions. Don't stint on this stage - the onions need time to become nice and jammy.
Turn off the heat and stir in the turmeric. Do not let it burn.
Remove 1/3 of the onion/turmeric mixture and combine it with the dried mint while it's still hot. Set aside to use as a garnish for the finished soup.
Let the rest of the onion/turmeric mixture cool and stir 1/2 of it into the sour cream. Chill the sour cream mixture until the soup is ready.
Add all the beans and chickpeas, water or stock, salt and pepper to the rest of the onions in the pot and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 to 60 minutes or more until the beans are very soft. Then add the lentils and cook another 15 minutes.
Next add all the spinach and parsley. Stir and let it simmer for about 15-30 minutes until it reaches a soft, mushy and thick soup consistency. Add more water or stock as needed.
In a small bowl, combine a few tablespoons of soup and the flour, whisking well to make sure there are no lumps. Stir this back into the simmering soup.Tip: Alternatively, skip the flour/water and blend a very small portion of the soup with an immersion blender, then add it back to give the soup a creamy consistency.
Stir the lemon juice into the soup according to your taste.
Adjust the consistency, salt, lemon juice and other seasonings to taste.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with dollops of the sour cream and onion-mint mixture. Optionally, top with more onions as a garnish.
You can freeze this soup in freezer safe containers. Thaw and reheat, adding water or stock to adjust the consistency.