Turkish Style Runner Beans in Olive Oil or With Meat

My boyfriend’s mum is a true gardener. When I told her my interest in gardening and growing my own herbs, she made me a patch and gave me some seeds to plant. French and runner beans were some of the seeds that she gave me which were growing very quickly and I was harvesting them almost every week. To store my beans I dried some of them, also frozen some of them too but with the majority of them I made one of our traditional dish. Nothing is as delicious as a dish came fresh from the garden.

We are picky about our beans, hence ‘taze fasulye’ literally ‘fresh beans’, preferably plucked straight from our vegetable garden. Many Turkish cooks will tell you it should take less than an hour from the moment they are picked to the time they are put in the pot.  

INGREDIENTS

• 500 g runner/french or any preferred green beans
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp sugar
• 200 g tomatoes, chopped (tinned or fresh; if using fresh, peel the tomatoes first and you’ll need two regular-sized ones)
• Enough water to cover the beans (the amount of water depends on how juicy your tomatoes are. Around 50ml water would be enough)
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil, to serve

METHOD

1. Rinse and dry the beans. Cut or break off the ends and any string running alongside the edges of the bean. Cut in c. 5×1 cm strips at an angle. If using regular beans, top and tail and use whole or cut in half.
2. Fry the onion in a large pan or pot on medium heat until the onion is softened but not browned, 10-12 minutes. Stir regularly.
3. Add garlic, sugar and some salt and fry for another minute, stirring continuously. Add the beans, tomatoes and water. Stir well. Put a lid on and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add extra water if necessary.
4. Remove the lid and continue to simmer until the water has evaporated and the beans are completely soft, 10-20 minutes. Season.
5. Take off the heat, put the lid back on and let rest until the beans have reached room temperature. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top.

This is such an easy, delicious and healthy vegetarian course that you can serve as a starter or an accompaniment to grilled meat or Turkish rice. Green beans cooked this way are a great national favorite. Enjoyed by the urban and rural families alike, there are varying theories of how to achieve the best result. Traditionally, zeytinyagli dishes (vegetables cooked in olive oil) are prepared in advance and served at room temperature, as a meze or vegetable course. French, runner and dwarf beans are all suitable to be prepared this way. Once cooked, you can store in the fridge for a good 2-3 days.

Another version of this recipe is using diced lamb. Sautee the 250 g diced lamb once the onions softened. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste to your tomato sauce. Don’t drizzle olive oil while serving and serve it hot – not in room temperature.

I suggest to use pressure cooker or casserole for better taste