This is a very simple and traditional stew very popular with all Palestinians. It is proper home cooking and even if I prepare it myself it always makes me think of my parents. Fasoolia literally means beans and throughout the Arab world the beans in this dish vary as does the dish itself. This is basically how my family make it with a few tiny tweaks.
This is also popular as a mezze minus the lamb, room temperature and with pitta bread to scoop. If you want to do this, add the ingredients in the following order - onion, cinnamon, all spice, beans, tomatoes. Omit the garlic. It only needs to cook for one and a half hours. You might want to add a pinch of paprika or chilli as it won't have the lamb to flavour the sauce.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Green beans- runner beans or French beans – 500 / 600 g
Half a kilo of Lamb – I like to use boneless neck meat or chops. Any lamb suitable for stewing works.
Tomatoes – if you have access to good quality fresh tomatoes, use about 7. If not then two cans chopped tomatoes or one chopped tomato and one passata. I really recommend fresh for the right texture.
Garlic – 1 whole clove unpeeled
1 white onion finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 level tsp all spice
Chop the lamb in to decent sized chunks (this is not an elegant dish!) Sometimes I have more bite size chunks and sometimes hunks. It cooks faster with small pieces but a hunk of lamb is great for spoons and teeth. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan / casserole dish on the hob and add the whole garlic to the oil. After a few minutes start to brown the meat. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon and all spice. Once the lamb is browned, add enough water to almost cover the meat. Now bring it to the boil and then turn it down and simmer for approximately one hour. This will look a bit weird and skuddy but that’s ok. Keep an eye on it and skim the fat off the top if required.
If you are using fresh tomatoes, put them in a big bowl, boil the kettle and pour the water over them until completely covered. Let them soak for 5 minutes and then remove them one by one and peel off the skin. Get rid of the seeds (sour) and core and chop them roughly. If you are using canned tomatoes open the cans. Add the finely chopped onion and then the tomatoes to the pan and combine everything.
Chop your beans in to pieces. If you are using runner beans, as they are thick I would recommend smallish bite size pieces. French beans I normally cut in to two or three. Make sure whatever beans you use, that the ends are chopped off and discarded. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a very low temperature, add the salt and place the lid back on. The whole dish will need another 1 1/2 hours.
The beans should be on the softer side, not al dente! This does go against all my instincts regarding green vegetable consumption but it just doesn't taste right with crunchy beans. You should have a light yet rich sauce by this point. If it is too thick add water and if too thin simmer with the lid off so that some of the water can evaporate. You need a decent amount of sauce to soak through the rice. Season with salt according to your taste. Check the lamb is tender and if so, it is done.
Serve it with white rice and a simple salad.
Labels: Fasoolia, green beans, Palestinian recipe
