Albanian White Bean Soup (Jani Me Fasule)

Submitted by UmmBinat

"A rich delicious soup. Good as a part of suhoor or futoor (iftar) the meals before sunrise and fajr prayer and after sunset & maghreb prayer during the month of Ramadan. Here is what the original poster had to say, "This is not only the most popular dish in Greece but Albania as well. The two countries share many recipes. The Greek dish however uses olive oil and mint instead of butter and paprika. This is a hearty, flavorful thick soup, perfect with a light meal or cold night." Modified from a recipe found on http://www.yasalamcooking.com."

 

• Ready In: 15hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Yields: 5 bowls
• Serves: 5

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups dry white beans, washed, picked over, soaked over night, and rinsed
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 1⁄4 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1⁄4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• sea salt, to taste
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chili powder (the mixed one)

directions

1. In a large pot add rinsed presoaked white beans and water. Bring to a full boil and cook for 10 minutes.
2. In a skillet on medium heat add butter and onion. Cook until tender. Add to the beans.
3. Add the tomato paste, chopped parsley, sweet paprika, and chili powder. Mix well. Reduce heat to low (or a simmer) and cook covered 3 - 4 hours. Adding more water if needed. Add sea salt, to taste.
4. Enjoy especially after a day or two covered in the refrigerator! (Soups tend be better over a bit of time and this one benefits extensively).

Reviews

[sofie-a-toast]

This soup turned out really really delicious and rich. However, I did have to make a change. I ended up pureeing the soup (personal preference) and found that the blandness of the white beans was a bit over powering for the seasoning. I quickly fixed this by adding a vegetable boullion cube. I think this soup is nearly perfect in every way but I would recommend cooks use broth instead of plain water to take it up that extra notch. Thanks for the posting!

 

[JackieOhNo!]

This soup really surprised me because, with such simple ingredients, it packs a lot of flavor! I must admit that I generally use canned beans for everything, but I decided to stay faithful to the recipe and soak the beans overnight. I honestly think using butter added a nice flavor. I was hesitant about the chili powder, thinking it would be overpowering, but the way it blended with the paprika gave the soup a distinct flavoring that was really delicious. I cooked the soup for 3 hours, but found that I needed to add liquid. I used some chicken broth. I can't wait to try this soup after a day or two, because its hard to think it can be improved! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.

 

[threeovens]

What s lovely, simple soup! Very easy to make and the beans really fill you up. I used half vegrtable broth and doubled the chili powder.

 

[Chef Kate]

Lovely, warming, comforting---everything you want from a soup on a chilly fall day. I followed the recipe with just a tweak or two--I used smoked paprika and aleppo pepper instead of chili pepper. I cooked the onions in olive oil instead of butter. I loved the inclusion of tomato paste--it gave the soup a subtle sweetness and a subtle pink tinge. Great stuff, Umm!

 

[Sydney Mike]

I'll be the first to admit that I usually use canned beans when making soups like this, but once in a while I really do enjoy doing it the way my mom used to ~ It reminds me of her & gives me that warm, comforting feeling of being a little closer to her even if just for that time I spend in the kitchen! Anyway, this soup has a great, satisfying taste, so it's well worth the 5 stars! Thanks for posting the recipe! [Tagged & made in Please Review My Recipe]