Simple and with humble origins, this dish, like me, hails from Jerusalem. More specifically, it comes from the Jewish Sephardi community there, an endless source of great dishes, many of them rich and grand.
These were served for high holidays and for Friday night dinner — the most important meal of the week — when every household would get together to greet the Sabbath.
Friday morning was always a flurry of activity as we dashed to get all the shopping, cleaning and cooking done before the holy day. This simple dish was the Friday lunch stopgap — cheap and easy to make but filling, wholesome and, of course, delicious.
A pot of beans, a pot of rice, a spoonful of each in a bowl. In the collective psyche of the town, this became the Pavlovian bell that signified the end of the working week and the beginning of the weekend, the transition from profane to sacred.
Gradually, this dish spread from home kitchens to cafés and canteens, from Friday lunch to the entire week, from the Sephardi community to the entire town. But the Ladino name — avas — prevailed.
For years, this was the fast food of Jerusalem and it gained cult status and a place in the heart of those who grew up there at a certain time.
I left 20 years ago. I don’t know if those cafés still exist or if the town is as obsessed with this dish as it was when I was a kid. But we make it every so often when it gets cold here in London: just beans, simply cooked with minimal spicing, and it never fails to deliver.
We made it recently for a Jerusalemite friend who almost welled up, we made it for a vegan friend who’s never been there before but still asked for the recipe. Nostalgia, it seems, is a potent seasoning.
‘Avas’— tomato and bean soup
Hearty meal for four
Traditionally served with plain white rice to make it a substantial meal for a busy day, this is a great winter soup.
- Soak the beans with plenty of cold water and the bicarbonate of soda overnight or for at least six hours at room temperature. Strain and wash.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat, and add the salt and onions. Sauté for about 6-8 minutes till the onions are soft and translucent. Add the bay leaves and the beans and mix well, then add the spices, passata and water.
- Increase the heat, bring to a boil and skim off the foam that comes to the top. Reduce the heat to really low and simmer for about an hour or until the beans are super soft. You may wish to add a little water to get the consistency you like — but we prefer to have it rather thick with a bowlful of plain rice.
Email Sarit and Itamar at honeyandco@ft.com
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2020-02-19 10:30:00Z
https://www.ft.com/content/31d9b6cc-52a6-11ea-90ad-25e377c0ee1f
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