Revithia soupa (Chickpea soup)

This classic, simple and vegetarian chickpea soup is a Greek favorite on cold winter evenings! It is quick to prepare and then it just has to simmer on the stove. When the smell has spread throughout the house, everyone is suddenly hungry at the table, ready to warm up with a bowl of delicious, nutritious soup! Preferably served with a delicious bread.

Chickpeas are super healthy due to their high content of vitamins and minerals. They are a good vegetarian source of protein, and they are also bursting with dietary fibre! In addition to that, they contain Choline, which helps your brain and nervous system to function optimally. They also contain iron, folic acid, magnesium and potassium.

There are lots of good reasons to incorporate chickpeas into your everyday life, and this soup is a super easy and tasty way to do it! If it needs to go quickly on a weekday evening, you can also use canned chickpeas for a faster cooking time, and you don't have to soak them in water overnight. But if you have the time, dried Greek chickpeas will definitely give the best taste. Potassium appetite!

This recipe serves 4-6 people.

Ingredients:

• 500g dried chickpeas, for example these from 3ALFA (or 2 tins of pre-cooked chickpeas)
• 1 large red onion, finely chopped
• ½ dl good quality olive oil, try this one from AGROCRETA
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 tbsp. oregano, for example this beautiful, organic Greek oregano from Cretan Beauty
• 1 bay leaf
• The juice from 2 lemons
• 500 ml vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp. flour to thicken the soup (optional)
• Salt and pepper

Course of action:

1. The chickpeas are soaked the night before, the optimal soaking time is approx. 18 hours. They just have to be placed in a bowl of cold water and allowed to enjoy themselves until you need them.
   
   
2. When you are ready to use them, pour them into a strainer and rinse them thoroughly a few times under running water, rub them with your hands a little too. Discard the soaking water.
   
   
3. Put the chickpeas in a large pot and fill well with cold water until the water is approx. 4 cm above the chickpeas.
   
   
4. Now bring the water to a boil and use a spoon to skim the top of the pot while it boils. This step takes approx. 15 minutes
   
   
5. After the 15 minutes, pour the water from the chickpeas again, rinse them and put them back in the pot. Vegetable broth and water are now added, also until they are well covered by the liquid.
   
   
6. The pot is boiled once more and you can now add olive oil, onion, garlic and spices.
   
   
7. When it boils, turn down the heat until the pot just simmers. The court must now be allowed to look after itself for 1-2 hours. Add more water if necessary, it must not dry out!
   
   
8. Check during the process whether the chickpeas are tender, as the cooking time can vary. If you use canned chickpeas, the time will be significantly less, as they are already cooked from the can. In this case, the pot will only have to simmer for half an hour.
   
   
9. When the soup is cooked, you can choose to thicken it a little. If you want to, add the flour to the lemon juice in a small bowl, as well as some of the liquid from the soup. This is whipped together and gradually poured into the soup while stirring. Add it little by little until the desired consistency is achieved. If you don't want to thicken it, just add the lemon juice alone.
   
   
10. The soup is now ready to be served in deep bowls with plenty of bread, and preferably a bowl of delicious Greek olives on the table. It doesn't get more classic Greek winter food!

Welcome from Elena's!

The warmest Greek food greetings, Maria from Elenas.dk