Recipe: Lebanese Green Beans

This is a recipe that my parents got from one of their Lebanese friends in the 80s called Sam. I must say that, cause we have always followed his recipes to the letter and time after time they turn out great. My parents got to know Sam because he was the owner/head chef/ manager of this little lebanese restaurant that they soon became regulars of. Apparently i met him as well but it was when i was very very little, i can't really remember. This recipe is very similar to green beans cooked in a Greek style as well, but you often find that some Lebanese, Turkish and Greek dishes can be very similar to eachother. I suppose the only difference is that this dish is traditionally served cold- but it is of course lovely hot too.



Lebanese Green Beans (serves 4 as a side dish)



1 small white onion, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for garnish)

1 tbsp tomato puree

250g fresh ripe tomatoes, diced

120ml water

500g green beans, trimmed and halved

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (plus extra for garnish)



1. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomato puree, stir in a little, then add the tomatoes and water and cook covered for a further 10 minutes.

2. Add the green beans, salt, sugar and fresh parsley, and cook covered on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.

3. Season to taste, garnish with some extra finely chopped parsley, and a drizzle of olive oil. Now either serve straight away, or allow to cool and refridgerate for an hour.