Green beans Greek style
Katerina Pavlakis Best for flavour!
Greek cooking has a way with vegetables, which may come as a surprise to some: simple but delicious veggie meals are a staple of traditional home cooking even though it seems these dishes never really made it onto restaurant menus.
This green bean pot is another summer favourite of mine that makes for simple and delicious seasonal cooking wherever you may be in the world: a summer dish of green beans braised with tomato and olive oil.
I tend to cook it every week while green beans are abundant in the summer, and never get bored with it (lots of variations are possible!) I even made a video, but never wrote it up for the blog - I'm making up for that today!
If you have ever grown beans in the garden or visited a farmers market in the summer you'll know that green beans come in a glut - you have either none or far too many. So it's always useful to have a few different ways to cook them so you don't get bored (especially if you are used to plain steamed green beans...)
You can use any type of green beans (as well as peas and broad beans), and it works with frozen beans (or peas) too.
As usual my cooking guide below is 'measured by eye' - this is just the way I cook.
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YOU NEED:
- any type of green beans (top and tail and remove any stringy bits)
- you can also use broad beans, peas or sugar snaps
- olive oil
- an onion (or spring onion) chopped or finely sliced
- garlic, finely sliced or minced
- a potato and a carrot (or other veggies like celery or fennel) sliced/cubed
- plenty of parsley, and any other herbs you like (I like adding fresh mint and dried oregano)
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HOW TO:
- Chop or finely slice the onion.
- Add to a pan with a few glugs of olive oil and cook gently until translucent
- Chop up the potato and carrot and/or other veggies, finely slice or mince the garlic and add to the pan.
- Give it a few more minutes then add the beans (or peas or broad beans) and continue sautéing for a bit longer. Add more olive oil if necessary.
- Add the tomatoes and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. You can add
- Let it braise until the vegetables have cooked through.
- Watch the liquid - if it starts sticking add just a bit of water (just enough to stop it sticking and burning - you want to avoid a watery boil) but the tomato liquid may be just enough on its own.
- When the vegetables have softened and the sauce has thickened take off the heat and let it rest a bit, allowing the flavours to come together.
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Eat warm or cold - not hot (it's even better the next day).
Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, crusty bread and a sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese (or another zingy accompaniment, e.g. a spoonful of fermented veggies, capers, or olives).
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Categories: COOK
