Many of my foreign friends cannot perceive the concept of eating green beans as a main course because they are used to eat it like on the side or as a salad. Green beans stew is a very common dish in greek cuisine, during the summer, with few ingredients, it is cooked mostly in the summetime when the green beans are fresh and at the best taste.
It is one of the many vegan dishes of the greek cuisine and contains fresh tomato, onion, fresh parsley and a good amount of fine greek olive oil! It is one of the famous “lathera” dishes like okras, potato stew or briam (a ratatouille like dish). It is cheap and easy to make and last but not least it is quite healthy! If you are not vegan you should definetely accompany it with some feta cheese or some greek yoghurt and freshly baked sourdough bread!
500 gr fresh green beans, trimmed
2 medium onions, finelly chopped
3 tomatoes grated
1 tsp tomato puree
3 tbsps fresh parsley, finelly chopped
1 1/2 cup olive oil
salt
pepper
- Start by trimming the green beans, cut the ends and with a sharp knife remove any strings from the sides of the beans. If the green beans are veyr long you can cut them in two.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and brown the onion. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the parsley, and some extra water, just enough to cover all the ingredients.
- Stir carefully and add some salt and pepper.
- Cover the pot with a lid and simmer in medium heat for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and water has been evaporated.
- Then, uncover the pot and add the chopped parsley, stir carefully and simmer for 10 more minutes, uncovered. Serve in room temperature and remember that all the “ladhera”dishes taste better the day after !
