Cretan Ospriada (Οσπριάδα / Παλικάρια)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •heavy 5-liter soup pot with lid
• •large soaking bowl, 3 liters or larger
• •fine-mesh skimmer

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the Seeds

   Put the chickpeas, white beans, and wheat berries in a large bowl, cover with plenty of cool water, and leave them overnight, 10 to 12 hours. Keep the lentils separate. They don't need soaking, only a rinse before they meet the pot.

2. 2

   Start the Pot

   Drain the soaked chickpeas, beans, and wheat. Put them in a heavy pot with 2 liters fresh water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, skim the gray froth from the surface, then lower the heat to a steady simmer.

3. 3

   Simmer Until Half-Tender

   Cook for 60 to 75 minutes, with the lid slightly ajar, until the chickpeas and beans have begun to soften but still keep their shape. Add hot water if the level drops below the pulses. Don't salt yet.

4. 4

   Add the Lentils

   Stir in the rinsed lentils, chopped onion, and 45ml of the olive oil. Simmer 35 to 45 minutes more, until the chickpeas, beans, wheat, and lentils are all tender and the broth is lightly thickened.

   The order is the dish. Hard beans and wheat first, lentils later. Put everything in together and the lentils collapse before the chickpeas are done.
5. 5

   Season the Broth

   Add the salt, cumin, and black pepper. Simmer 10 minutes so the cumin warms through the pot and the salt reaches the beans. The soup should be brothy but not thin, with each pulse still visible.

6. 6

   Finish with Lemon

   Take the pot off the heat and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the remaining 45ml olive oil and the lemon juice. Taste and correct the salt. The lemon goes in at the end, after the skins are tender, when it can brighten the pot instead of toughening it.

7. 7

   Rest and Serve

   Let the ospriada rest 15 minutes before serving. Ladle it into deep bowls, finish each one with a thread of olive oil, a pinch of cumin, and lemon wedges on the side. Country bread belongs here.

Chef Tips

• •Use small white beans and chickpeas of similar age, because old beans cook at their own stubborn pace. If one bag has been sitting for years, save it for another pot. Λίγα και καλά: a few things, and good ones.
• •This is not fasolada with extra beans. Tomato belongs to other bean soups; here it muddies the clean taste of the pulses and wheat. Cumin, lemon, olive oil. Let those do their work.
• •Ospriada thickens as it sits because the wheat and lentils keep drinking the broth. When reheating, add hot water, not cold, and finish with fresh lemon after it is warm.
• •For the fasting table, serve it with olives, raw onion, and bread. No cheese is needed. Nistisima cooking has been feeding Greek houses for centuries without asking permission from anyone.

Advance Preparation

• •Soak the chickpeas, white beans, and wheat berries overnight, 10 to 12 hours; the dish depends on this.
• •The cooked soup keeps 4 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently and add lemon only after warming.
• •Ospriada is even better after a night's rest, but keep a little hot water ready because it will thicken.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 425g)