| Cafe Drake HRV has always adored the tangy, soft green beans cooked with tomatoes ubiquitous as a side at Greek restaurants and diners. So we made our own with all ingredients plucked from our garden with the exception of the onions. Even if you don't have a bountiful backyard this is one recipe worth a trip to the market! Economical and surprisingly substantial, our Greek stewed beans are worthy of entree status, served with rice or bread and a wedge of your favorite Greek cheese such as Graviera, Kasseri or Kefalotiri. So, it's one step cooking. Put all of this in a deep saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 or 40 minutes or until the beans are very tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. You'll need: 1 lb. of long beans (trimmed for sure, chopped or not); 1 small onion (chopped); 1-2 small green chilies (minced); 3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped); 2 plum tomatoes (chopped, seeded or not); a moderate pinch each of ground allspice and sugar and a few sprigs each of savory and oregano; about 1/2 cup water (more if needed during cooking); salt and black pepper to taste and 4 T. olive oil. Note: we used long beans because they grow freely in our gardens but you can substitute if unavailable, regular string beans or preferably, the thinner sort such as haricots verts. |
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