It's got kick, it's hearty -- and it's the simplest soup I've ever made.
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur
Ingredients
2 cups dry white beans, soaked in water overnight and drained (Note: I was naughty and used canned beans. I have a rough time finding dry white beans. The soup still tastes delicious)
1 1/2 quarts chicken, beef or vegetable stock (Note: I went with chicken)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped parsley or coriander to serve (Note: I didn't bother with this. Totally not necessary)
1. Rinse the beans, put in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cook for 30 minutes until partly softened, and drain. Return the beans to the saucepan, add the stock and tomato paste and season with pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper and garlic.
2. Cook for about one hour, stirring occasionally. Add stock or water if necessary.
3. When the beans have softened, mash slightly to thicken the soup. Season with salt, add the chopped parsley or coriander and serve with large helpings of white bread or over steamed rice (Note: I did the latter).
