Stewed Green Beans (Fasoolya bi Zayt)
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Middle Eastern Stewed Green Beans (Fasoolya bi Zayt) can be a side dish or even a light summer meal when served with lots of pita bread.
Ingredients
  • 1½ lbs (680g) green beans, trimmed of both ends
  • 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 shallot or small onion, sliced into strips
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups of peeled and roughly chopped tomatoes or 2 cups basic tomato sauce
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ of a chile (jalapeño, serrano, etc.) seeded or unseeded if you like spicy
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • large handful of cilantro, chopped
  • 1-2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Clean and trim the green beans and cut into bite-sized pieces.
  2. In a large pot, heat the 2 Tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and toss in the sliced onion. Sauté for 3 minutes then add the garlic. Sauté for another 30 seconds and add the green beans, tomatoes, water, chile, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil.
  3. When it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium and cover with a lid. Stir it around occasionally and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the green beans are very tender. If you prefer tender/crisp beans, simmer for only 20 minutes.
  4. After it has cooked to your desired tenderness, remove from the heat and taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Stir in the chopped cilantro and the extra Tablespoon or so of fresh olive oil and serve.
Notes
-If your tomatoes are out of season and not very flavorful, add in 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste during cooking to bump up the tomato flavor.

-You can easily substitute chopped parsley or basil for the cilantro.
Recipe by Lands & Flavors at https://www.landsandflavors.com/stewed-green-beans-fasoolya-bi-zayt/