BRAISED GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATO & OLIVE OIL, “FASOLAKIA LADERA”

Like most vegetables, green beans lose their nutrients and flavour if overcooked. You don’t want to end up with a sad looking heap of mushy vegetables. The trick is to lightly sauté the beans and the rest of the vegetables in a little olive oil for 5’ before adding the sauce, the herbs and the seasonings and cooking in low heat. In order for the oil to retain its distinctive flavour it must go in at the end of the cooking, 10’ before you take the pot off the heat.

Ingredients

800gr of green beans

1 large potato cut in cubes (optional)

1 large white onion, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed (optional)

2-3 medium ripe tomatoes grated (or a jar of Odysea Organic Pressed Heirloom Tomatoes)

a small bunch of chopped parsley

400 ml of hot water

1 teaspoon of sugar

70 ml Odysea Organic Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil PGI Chania

salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Prepare all your ingredients: wash and trim the ends of your beans, if using fresh. If they are too long, you can cut them in half. If using frozen beans, give them a quick rinse, drain and let them thaw for a few minutes.
  2. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic (if using). Peel and cut the potato in cubes. Grate the tomatoes, if using fresh, and chop the parsley. Finally boil 400 ml of water and keep it aside for later.
  3. In a deep pot pour half of the olive oil and heat it up in medium heat. Once hot add the chopped onion, garlic and the potato cubes and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
  4. Add the green beans and turn all the ingredients gently with a wooden spoon making sure they are nicely turned in oil. Sauté the beans for approximately 5-6 minutes.o
  5. Add the tomatoes and mix well. Pour hot water to half-cover the vegetables.
  6. Let the lid rest on the pot without covering and simmer for 20 minutes. You can then add the salt and pepper, the chopped parsley and the remaining olive oil. Stir well and let it simmer for another 10 minutes so that tomato sauce thickens. Bear in mind that every pot and hob are different, so keep an eye on the liquids and adjust the cooking time. In the end there should be enough tomato sauce to mop up with that fresh crusty bread!

Eat like a Greek and serve with chunks of Feta on the side.