Revithia is the Greek word for chickpeas or garbanzo beans. I made revithosoupa for dinner today, and it was about time! We hadn't had it in a while; it was good to eat a simple, meatless, warm bowl of soup. Revithosoupa is a filling Greek soup that is a standard in the Greek cooking repertoire. Some versions are kind of plain, others like mine are well flavoured because I like to mix in spices and vegetables. Plain or spiced up this soup is good. It's the chickpeas that give it a lot of favour. Ideally, it should be made with dried chickpeas that have been soaked overnight in water and a little bit of salt. However, cooking it that way requires prior planning ... To make a quick revithosoupa, go ahead and use canned chickpeas.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cans of 15-ounce canned chickpeas rinsed and drained.
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1 leek, white and light green part only, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint or 1 teaspoon fresh
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 quart vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
Directions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion, leek, garlic, celery and carrots. Sauté until the onions are soft.
- Add the chickpeas, and stir them around for about two minutes or so and then season them with salt and pepper.
- Add the liquid, oregano, rosemary and mint. Bring to a boil and cover, then lower the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Add the parsley and lemon juice during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Serve while hot and enjoy!
