Recipe: Green Beans with Tomatoes and Olive Oil (Turkey)

Green Beans
with Tomatoes and Olive Oil

Zeytinyagli Taze Fasülye
Serves 4-6

Green Beans with Tomatoes and Olive Oil You can use any type of green beans, long or short, round or flat, for this recipe. In Turkey, flat green beans that don't have strings are used. When buying string beans, look for fresh, bright green beans that snap sharply when broken in two.

1/2 cup virgin olive oil
1 small Spanish onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely diced (1/2 cup)
1-1/2 pounds fresh green beans,
trimmed and cut in half lengthwise.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat the oil in a medium-size pot over medium heart and cook the onion gently for about 2 minutes, or until it's softened but not brown. Stir in the garlic, tomato, and beans. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1-1/2 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil; then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer gently for about 35 minutes, or until the beans are tender but not too soft.

Transfer the mixture to a serving plate, cover it, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve chilled or at room temperature with a garnish of chopped parsley.

Buy the Book!

The Sultan's Kitchen
By Ozcan Ozan
Periplus Editions
Hardback, $29.95
ISBN: 962-593-223-2
Recipe Reprinted by permission.