Fasolakia

The rain held off for the Greek Festival in Melbourne today. That was a plus. No wild young men dancing though which is, after all, the main reason I like the Festival in the first place, a nice little Cretan war dance never goes astray.

However, I caught a cooking demonstration from Spiri Tsintziras and was inspired to start making fasolakia as soon as I got home.

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Fasolakia

String Bean Peasant Stew

Course Main Course

Cuisine Greek

Keyword beans

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2-3 medium potatoes chopped into smallish pieces
• 5 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion finely chopped
• 1 large can peeled whole tomato
• 1 medium eggplant topped and diced
• 1 kilo String beans trimmed and cut into small pieces
• 1 bayleaf
• 2 tspoon dried oregano
• salt and pepper
• lemon juice
• flat leaf parsley

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• In a pan on the stove top, heat ¼ cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until tender, stirring occasionally (about 5 mins). Then add the garlic and oregano. Cook another 2 mins, stirring regularly, until fragrant.
• Add tomatoes, a bit of water, bay leaf, beans, and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat and bring to a high simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a casserole dish and pop it into the heated oven.
• Keep your eye on the casserole dish. Cook until the sauce slightly thickens, and the beans and potatoes can easily be cut with side of your fork; about 35 minutes or so. (It's a good idea to check after 10 minutes or so and add a little bit of water if needed.)
• Remove from oven and stir in 2 tablespoon lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. Stir in a generous drizzle of olive oil (at least another ¼ cup).
• Serve immediately with pita bread or your favorite rustic bread and some feta