Boranija (Yellow Bean Soup)

As you can tell from the fact that soup has its own category on this blog, I love soup! It's easy to prepare, makes a lot and is great for leftovers. But summertime doesn't often lend itself to images of warm, hearty soup simmering on the stove for a couple hours, right?


Wrong! This Serbian yellow bean soup, courtesy of my Serbian roomie, is the perfect summer soup. I fell in love with the yellow beans stored in large piles at the market, and aside from sauteing them, I couldn't think of a thing to use them for that would still be relatively healthy. Enter boranija...and thanks to Jen and her mom, Lily (who has shared more than just one recipe with me), I now know how to put away a couple pounds of summer beans.


Ingredients
2 lbs. yellow wax beans
2 small onions
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
10-12 tsp. chicken granules
1 tbsp. paprika
Salt and black pepper
Crushed red pepper flakes
4 eggs
1 tbsp. vinegar


Directions
1. Clean, trim and cut the beans into bite-size pieces.

2. Chop the onions, and mince the garlic.

3. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Add the onions and garlic, as well as a pinch of salt, and saute until translucent.
4. Add the flour and paprika, and stir until flour is dissolved and onion mixture is thickened.

5. Add the beans and enough water to cover (approximately 6 cups).

6. Bring to a boil, and add 6 more cups of water.

7. Stir in the chicken granules (adjust amount to your preference), black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.
8. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours, covered.
9. Beat eggs in a small bowl or measuring cup.
10. Turn off the heat. Hold a fork over the soup, and pour the beaten eggs through the tines of the fork into the soup.
*Note: this ensures that the egg remains in larger pieces, rather than getting broken up throughout the broth.
10. Add 1 tbsp. of distilled vinegar, stir, and serve with a dollop of sour cream.