Trusted books and trusted cooks have very divergent opinions on the vexed issue of how to get tender chickpeas. One friend soaks them for two days, another 24 hours, another 12 hours. Some swear by bicarbonate soda, others not. I follow my mother in law’s approach of a 24 hour soak, followed by a two hour simmer. However, I think the real secret is finding the freshest chickpeas that you can. With such a simple dish like revithsououpa the quality of the chickpea is everything. You want soft, almost melting tender chickpeas that collapse without a fight under the back of of your spoon, not ricochet off your plate. Sofia also suggests eating revithosoupa with a side dish of sardines liberally doused with lemon juice and the favourite Zaythinian winter salad of warm broccoli also doused in fresh lemon juice and plenty of extra virgin olive oil. This soup is also best served warm, not scalding hot.
Revithosoupa
Ingredients
- 500 g dried chickpeas
- 8 cups of water
- 1 large white onion finely diced
- 1 large celery stalk de-stringed and finely diced
- 50 ml EVOO
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- To serve: sardines bread, olives and a warm salad
Instructions
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Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours in a large bowl filled with water. Drain and rinse under running water.
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Place pot on the heat, add olive oil, onion and celery. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the drained chickpeas and cover with water. Bring to boil. Skim off any froth that rises to the surface using a spoon. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours, checking from time to time if you need to a little boiling water (however towards the end of cooking the soup should become thick and not watery).
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When the chickpeas are tender, turn off heat and add the juice of 1 lemon, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well, cover and set aside for around 30 minutes. Then serve.
