Green beans slow-cooked with cumin and tomatoes (Loubia bi ziet)

Middle Eastern meze is a delight. The innumerable dishes arrive, almost unasked for, and the flavours and scents tantalize you into tasing every one of them. Derived from the Arabic word “mazmiz,” meaning “to savour in small bites,” mezze is a colourful array of appetisers designed to be shared among friends and family. Most importantly, the meze platter highlights the generosity of the host; the more items there are, the more honour there is. This platter is common throughout the Middle Eastern world, and variations of it exist in Italy, Greece and in the East in the former Soviet block countries.

This is an elegant dish. The soft, slow-braised beans are smothered in flavourful tomato sauce. Simple and elegant, this dish pops with flavours. You can also serve a variation of this dish topped with feta cheese. Serve it at room temperature with pita, lavash or other bread that are used to sop up the sauce.

Greg and Lucy Malouf have travelled across the Middle East extensively, publishing several specialized cookbooks along their journey. This cookbook specializes in Syrian cuisine with a modern flair, a thick volume filled with amazing recipes like this one and photographs. I have cooked a few, but definitely not enough, recipes from this book, and each is spectacular. I need to complete the collection of their cookbooks, oh I wish I had a larger cookbook budget. This book is for those who are looking for spectacular Syrian cuisine.

For more delicious recipes from this cookbook, click here.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground ginger paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon sweet or hot paprika

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 lb tomatoes, finely diced

Salt, to taste

3/4 lb tender green beans, stems trimmed and left whole

2 cups water

Olive oil to drizzle

Heat the oil in a pot on low heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry until very soft, but do not colour the onions. Add the ginger and fry for 1 minute until aromatic.

Add the cumin, coriander, pepper and paprika and toss the ingredients well. Add the tomato paste and fry for 30 seconds.

Add the tomatoes and salt and cook for 7-9 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down and form a sauce. Add the green beans and water and cook for 45-50 minutes on a low flame. Stir the dish occasionally. The tomatoes should cook down again, and the beans should be very soft and tender. Taste for salt and adjust as needed.

Serve at room temperature with pita or other bread as part of a meze platter.