Green beans with Tomato Sauce
At first glance, green beans with tomato sauce doesn’t sound especially appetizing. And after two hours in the oven, it doesn’t look all that appetizing, either. Never mind: I nearly ate the entire batch myself, straight from the pan.
The recipe comes from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean.
I’ve long felt Eastern is Wolfert’s least appreciated book. It appeared in 1994. At the time, few Americans were familiar with spices like sumac, freekeh, or Aleppo pepper. The notion of vegetable-dominated meals had yet to gain widespread popularity. Pomegranate molasses wasn’t in every cupboard. Perhaps most importantly, the internet hadn’t happened yet. The widespread access to food writers, food culture, and the recipes they described were years in the future.
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I made green beans with tomato sauce almost accidentally. I’d bought a pound of long beans at the farmer’s market, and they needed cooking. Lots of cooking. Ropy and past their prime, these beans flew in the face of Wolfert’s recipe, which calls for “tender green beans.” Then again, with a 2-3 hour cooking time, I was confident all would be well.
If your oven is occupied, the beans may be cooked stovetop, over a low flame. I was unable to settle the beans on a burner without them either boiling madly or sitting inert. (I know, flame tamer. I forgot.) Into the oven they went.
About the tomato sauce: the recipe calls for 1/3 cup, or 80ml. These days we’re lucky if tomato sauce is on the shelves at all, but it’s never sold in 1/3 cup amounts. Get around this by diluting tomato paste in water, or, at this time of year, (late September) use a large fresh tomato. Or just say the hell with it and open a can. I mean, a can of tomatoes is the least of our concerns, right?
Green beans in tomato sauce smells amazingly good while cooking, and tastes even better while eating. I say this as somebdy who isn’t fond of green beans.
Wolfert suggests serving green beans with tomato sauce with “a slab of cheese and crusty bread.” I could not agree more.
Green Beans with Tomato Sauce
With some minor adaptations from Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of The Eastern Mediterranean
Prep Time: a few minutes to trim the vegetables, then 2-3 hours of cooking time, largely unattended. The dish benefits from being prepared ahead of time, and is best served at room temperature.
Serves: 2-3 as a light meal or side dish
Please read notes before cooking
1 pound/454 grams green beans
1/3 cup/80ml tomato sauce
1 lobe shallot
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup/60 ml olive oil
1 cup/235ml boiling water
additional salt, to taste
You will need an oven-safe lidded saucepan or other oven-safe lidded pan for this recipe, along with a piece of crumpled parchment, dampened.
Preheat the oven to 300F/150C
Trim the beans and cut them in short lengths.
Peel the shallot and chop it.
Place all ingredients in the pan, including the boiling water. Cover with the parchment and the lid. Place in the oven and cook, 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. When almost all the liquid is absorbed, the beans are done. They will smell delicious and look rather khaki colored. Taste for salt: they’ll probably need some.
Serve beans lukewarm or at room temperature with pita or flatbread for a light meal, or serve as part of a larger mezze spread, or as a side dish. Note this dish is naturally vegan, kosher (it’s parve) and gluten-free. It’s delicious with yogurt drizzled atop it.
If you are lucky enough to have leftovers, they improve with time. Do not freeze.
Notes:
I’ve made this using long beans and regular green beans. Both were good.
As 1/3 cup tomato sauce is hard to find, dilute 2 teaspoons tomato paste in water, or chop a juicy tomato and cook it down in the pan. If you are a home canner, you can open a jar, as I did, and refrigerate the remaining amount. Or simply open a can of tomato sauce and use the remaining amount for another dish.
Wolfert’s recipe calls for a teaspoon of sugar. I did not use it; feel free to add it.
The original recipe uses 1 cup minced onion. As my spouse is an onion hater, I used only one lobe of a shallot. Feel free to use Wolfert’s original recipe.
The dish may be cooked stove top, over a low heat. I found the oven easiest.
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