Fizolova minestra

Fizolova minestra - bean soup

Two most popular traditional food types in my country are desserts and soups. And in this blog post, I would like to introduce you to what is considered one of the traditional dishes in my country. The dish is called fizolova minestra, and it is basically just a fancy bean soup. The preparation is easy and the final result will make you want to lick your plate clean. Ready?

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This is how a final result looks like. Are you hungry yet?

Ingredients

This amount of ingredients will make enough fizolova minestra for five people.

• Three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 600 grams of beans (you have to soak them in water overnight so they soften)
• 150 grams of white rice (alternatively, you can use pasta)
• Three cloves of garlic
• One tomato
• One whole onion
• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Celery
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

First, peel onion and garlic, and slice them in as small pieces as possible. If you are like me and do not like to cry when chopping onions, buy the onion diced - it really is a life saver! Whoever invented it - thank you. It will save you a lot of time, you will not cry when chopping onions, and you will be safe from accidentally cutting your fingers instead of onions.

Then, put half of the beans in the food processor, and leave the other half whole. Wash and slice parsley and celery.

You will need a large pan for preparing fizolova minestra. Fry the chopped onion on the olive oil until it turns brown. Then, add the beans that you put in the food processor, mix well and add water. The water should cover all the ingredients. After adding water, add chopped parsley and celery. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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I usually use brown beans for preparing fizolova minestra, but black beans work just as well.

Boil everything over the medium heat for about fifteen minutes. Then, bring it up to a boil, and add rice (or pasta, whatever will you be using) and the rest of the beans. Cook until rice (or pasta) softens and then serve in bowls.

Storage and serving suggestions

Fizolova minestra is traditionally served with freshly baked bread that you can dip in it. However, some people just eat it the way it is, without adding anything on the side.

For a visually appealing look, add some chopped parsley on top of the served fizolova minestra. Some people serve it with a sour cream on the side, but I personally think it sort of ruins the taste, so I rarely use it.

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Adding the parsley on the top while serving fizolova minestra will make the dish look more fancy. As you can see, this one is being served with a freshly baked bread. Some people also add the sausage in fizolova minestra, like you can see on this photo, but I personally prefer the vegetarian version.

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Another version of fizolova minestra includes cooking whole beans without dicing them in the food processor (but you still have to soak them overnight) and adding carrots and other vegetables.

You can store fizolova minestra in an airtight container for up to three days. And, in my opinion, fizolova minestra tastes even better on the second day.

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