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.