'Fasolakia Yiahni' or Greek Greens Stew : Slow Cooked and Delicious

Today ... I am taking you to Greece, because I am talking about 'Fasolakia Yiahni' which translates to green bean stew! It is traditionally made with just a handful of fresh produce, usually straight from the garden, and thrown together in a pan and cooked in a generous amount of olive oil and then simmered to perfection.

Yes, this nutritious meal inspired by a Greek style of cooking called ‘yiahni’ – slow-cooked seasonal vegetables in oil and tomatoes means you forget about crunchy vegetables because this recipe results in them being tender, sweet and delicious!

Ingredients

Serves Four

4–5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 onions, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1cm/½in rounds
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée
400g tin chopped tomatoes (or 400g/14oz fresh, ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped)
500ml/18fl oz vegetable stock
600g/1lb 5oz green beans or runner beans (or a mixture of both), trimmed and cut into halves or thirds
salt and freshly ground black pepper
15g/½oz mixed fresh soft herbs (for example dill and flatleaf parsley), finely chopped, to serve
fresh bread, to serve (perhaps choose a lower carb bread - see here)
capers, to serve (optional)

Method
1. Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan – there should be enough to fill it by 1cm/½in. Place on a medium heat and fry the onions and carrots for 10 minutes to soften slightly, reducing the heat a little as they cook.
2. Stir in the chopped garlic, then after a minute add the tomato purée. Add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Stir the beans into the tomato sauce. Cover the pan and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the veg is soft.
4. You don’t want it to be watery, so remove the lid, turn the heat up and boil vigorously for a final 5–10 minutes to thicken the stew. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. Serve drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and scattered with the chopped herbs, with fresh bread and capers on the side
From idea seen here

Tips
i) The wonderful thing about this dish is that it is equally good using fresh or frozen green beans, and fresh or canned tomatoes. As long as you are starting with quality ingredients, you will have a delicious dish.
ii) In some recipes a little sliced potato or swede (rutabaga) is sometimes added.

Enjoy / Bon Appetit / Kali orexi! / Good appetite!

This blog contains a variety of articles and recipe ideas, and not all may be suitable for you. Always take account of your personal circumstances, needs, illnesses and medication you may be taking. Any allergies, or underlying health issues must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter. If you have any concerns about your health, it is always advisable to consult your doctor or health care team.

All the best Jan