The Olive Harvest Comfort Food
Fasouloryzo is one of those humble, soul-warming dishes that appear just when you need them most—in the thick of winter, right in the heart of the olive-picking season. While the classic fasolada stew is a staple in many Greek households, fasouloryzo (bean and rice stew) was the practical—and delicious—solution for making use of leftovers. Lighter to carry than a pot of soup and just as filling, it became the go-to meal for a day spent working in the olive groves.
Some households prefer black-eyed beans, others stick to white beans, but the method is always the same: start with yesterday’s cooked beans, add rice, and transform the simple into something nourishing and memorable.
Ingredients:
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½ kilo black-eyed beans
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2 cups Carolina rice
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½ bunch of finely chopped fennel
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1 tbsp tomato paste
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1 grated onion
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½ cup olive oil
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Salt and pepper
Method:
Soak the beans for about 2 hours, then boil them for 30 minutes and drain. In a pot, heat the olive oil, add the onion and fennel, and let them cook gently until soft and golden. Add the beans, then pour in water (three parts water to one part rice), along with the tomato paste.
Once it starts to simmer, stir in the rice and let everything bubble away on a low heat for about 30 minutes. When the rice is cooked, season with salt and pepper, let it come to one last boil, and then remove from the heat.
As tradition has it, cover the pot with a white cloth and its lid—this little ritual helps the dish settle and soak in all the flavour.
Serve warm, ideally with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a chunk of good bread.
—Recipe by Lena Igoumenaki,
President of the Cretan Cuisine Festival Association
Cretan Cuisine Festival
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