Revithia Soup



Revithia Soup (Garbanzo Bean Soup)

 

Cook Time: 30 min

Prep: 10 min

Serves: 4-6

 

Kokkina Revithia or Red Garbanzo Soup is a tomato-based soup. Other recipes use lemon juice and instead of tomato paste or sauce. It has been said revithia originates  from the island of Sifnos and may have been made from rain water collected from roofs.

 

 

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

2 medium onions, chopped finely

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, chopped finely

1 tablespoons tomato paste

2 stalks celery, diced

1-8 ounce can tomato sauce

1-2 carrots, diced

2 16 -ounce cans garbanzo beans

1 large potato, peeled and diced

5 cups water with 2 bouillon cubes

1 small green pepper, diced

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat the oil in a pot and sauté  the onions, garlic and celery in oil for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.  Add the remaining vegetables, bay leaf, parsley, tomato paste and tomato sauce.  Add 2 cans of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans and 5  cups of water with 2 bouillon cubes (may substitute 5 cups of meat stock for 5 cups of water plus 2 bouillon cubes).  Bring soup to a boil and then simmer for another 20 minutes or until all vegetables are well cooked. Salt and pepper to taste and remove the bay leaf before serving.


Revithia are garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), the main ingredient in this soup. There are many revithia soup recipes on the internet and they all seem to involve lemon rather than tomato like this recipe which is apparently favored in Kokkina.  You could probably use different vegetables although carrot and celery are usually the basis for any soup stock and potato makes it a bit creamy so those should be included.  I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and paste which worked well.  These days, whenever I cook a tomato-based dish I add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize the acid and give the dish a smoother taste, especially when using canned tomato ingredients. It is a hearty soup with common ingredients that is even better tasting eaten the next day. 


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