If you ask an ordinary person what they associate with Greek cuisine, they will first think of greens, spices, and olive oil. Greek cuisine is famous for its salads, cheeses, yogurt, and fish dishes. However, only true gourmets know how popular legumes are in Greece! Greek chefs cannot imagine their lives without beans and lentils. Beans in tomato sauce, the recipe for which is presented below, is a typical Greek dish, hearty yet healthy.
Mediterranean Traditions
Contrary to popular belief, bean dishes are a favorite food of the Greeks. A typical Greek family enjoys a feast of soups, porridges, and casseroles made from beans and lentils at least once a week. The variety of such dishes in the Greek diet is truly impressive! It is said that the number of bean varieties in Greece is comparable to the number of types of their famous cheeses.
Ingredients:
500 g large white beans
2 tomatoes
2 carrots
1 bell pepper
1 onion
1 celery root
3 cloves of garlic
100 ml sunflower oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
sugar to taste
black pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Boil the beans for 30 minutes, then leave them in hot water for another hour. After that, place them in a baking dish and start preparing the vegetables.
2. Thoroughly wash the onion, carrots, celery, and bell pepper, peel them, and cut them into cubes. Mince the garlic. Sauté the onion in sunflower oil in a pan until it changes color, then add the garlic, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Sauté the vegetables for 10 minutes.
3. Now add the peeled and diced tomatoes, spices, tomato paste, and a glass of warm water to the vegetable mixture. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Pour the vegetable mixture over the beans, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes in an oven preheated to 170 degrees. Then remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes. Check the beans: if they are still hard, continue baking, adding water if necessary. When the beans become soft, cover the dish with foil and let it rest.
That's it, you have a classic Greek bean dish in tomato sauce. Both its taste and aroma are beyond praise! Enjoy your meal!
Source: vazhnoznat
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