Trade As One

Our partners over at Canaan Fair Trade just sent out a newsletter, and this soup caught our eye. They do amazing work farming some of the oldest olive trees in the world, and treating everyone they employ with dignity and respect. It’s a great product and a great story, and we’re proud to partner with them. If you need some fair trade olive oil, you can get some here. So, get cracking on making this soup and let us know how it tastes!

This is a wonderful Palestinian soup – thick, colorful, and filling. Serves 6-8. In Palestine, soups are often a meal in themselves, accompanied by Arabic bread.

Chickpea and Fava Bean Soup

1 cup fava beans, rinsed and soaked overnight
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large (28 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped, and juice
¼ cup cilantro, minced
pinch of cayenne pepper
8 cups water
1 can (19 ounce) chickpeas
2 potatoes, diced
1 ½ teaspoons oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the fava beans and leave to soak overnight. (You can use canned beans and skip the soaking and the 2 hours of simmer.) Heat oil in large pot, saute onions and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes, cilantro, and cayenne pepper. Cook down for 10 minutes. Add water and tomato juice, bring to boil, add fava beans. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours (if using dried beans). Add the chickpeas and potatoes, reboil then simmer for 30 minutes. Add oregano (rub it between your palms into the soup), and season to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.