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Fassolakia Ladera

Greek cuisine is full of vegetarian main options and many of those being main courses that are filling, nutritious and delicious. It’s Spring and herbs are abundant at the markets and in some of your herb gardens. The main ingredient of this one-pot dish are flat, runner or pole beans. Fassolakia.

These flat beans are becoming more and more available and yes, they taste differently than your usual bean found in the market. They are tender and sweeter and I absolutely love this dish. My family also makes this dish with veal and today, as a vegetarian main course. Both are delicious and you get to decide which version you would like to cook for your family.

The other aspects of this dish that make it delicious are lots of onions and lots of fresh herbs. This dish celebrates herbs….you get parsley, you get dill and some mint to round out the flavours.

This dish is a one pot meal that when served, is always accompanied by homemade crusty bread, a plate of Feta cheese and a hearty appetite!

Fassolakia Ladera (Φασολάκια λαδερά)

(serves 4-6)

1 kg. (or 2.2lbs.) of fassolakia (runner bean), ends snapped off

1/2 cup olive oil

3 medium onions, sliced

5 cloves of garlic, sliced

1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped

4 Tbsp. of chopped fresh mint

1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped

3 large ripe tomatoes, passed through a box grater, skins discarded (or approx. 1 cup of tomatoes puree)

4-5 whole allspice berries

1 cup of hot water

6 large potatoes, peeled and halved

salt and pepper to taste

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, add your olive oil, onions and garlic and a pinch of salt. Stir to coat and cover. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the onions have softened. Now add the grated tomatoes and allspice berries and simmer for another 5 minutes.
  2. Now add the beans (ends snapped-off), your herbs (dill, parsley and mint), the potatoes and 1 cup of hot water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Season with some salt and pepper and cover. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender and the potatoes have cooked. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
  3. Serve with some good crusty bread and Feta cheese on the side.
  4. A Greek rose wine is excellent with this dish. Try the Ligas Rose from Giannitsa (Pella), Makedonia.

 

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33 Responses

  1. I loooooove fassolakia ladera! Mmmmmm especially with some feta on top. Thanks for the recipe, I won’t tell Aunt Mary I’m gonna use yours ;0

  2. I ate this kind of beans as a kid, then they sort of disappeared, but now I can get them and I am very glad. I like the mix of herbs in your dish and the tomatoes.

  3. This is a must summer dish… το έφτιαξα τις προάλλες (δεν έβαλα μπαχάρι που προτείνεις, θα το δοκιμάσω όμως την άλλη φορά), είναι όμως από τα αγαπημένα μας πιάτα…

  4. We don’t get these flat beans in San Diego. At least, I have never seen them. I’m sure I’d love them though since I adore string beans and fava beans. I’d be a happy Greek vegetarian if the dishes were like this, Peter.

  5. Hi Peter,
    That looks delicious. We eat a lot of these beans here in Gib too but the dish is a lot heavier because it normally has some chorizo, morcilla (black sausage) and fatty Iberico ham in it. Best eaten in winter, as you’d imagine.
    Greeting from Gibraltar.
    Brian

  6. Mmmm! I’ve seen these flat beans in Loblaws before, I’m not sure about the local incarnation (they’re called Superstore out here), but I think they’ve carried them too.

  7. wow, this is very close to how lebanese cook their beans, and yes the green beans are much thinner and tastier there (I hate to say that stuff but it is true); i like the fact that you add all these other herbs to the dish, must do that next time

  8. Το αγαπημένο μου καλοκαιρινό φαγητό!!!
    Με φρέσκα φασολάκια εννοείται, τα κατεψυγμένα δεν τα μπορώ καθόλου!!

  9. A crust of bread and a platter of this is all I need Petah… and it’s nirvana! I love meatless sides. This is deliciously good!

  10. That is a really good looking dish Peter. I love those flat beans which we call “snijbonen” as most people always cut them in very small strips before cooking. not sure why that is, but it is definitely one of my favorite beans!

  11. i’m always at a loss for new ways to prepare pole beans, so this is very exciting for me. a version of this will no doubt be making its way onto my table soon!

  12. This looks awesome Peter! I have been really craving more veggies these past few weeks, and so I have been wracking my brain for my favorite vegetarian recipes that I used when I was a vegetarian. This is totally perfect! I am growing a few varieties of beans this year too.

  13. υπέροχο και αγαπημένο φαγάκι !!!!

    φιλια πήτερ

  14. Greek and Mexican cuisines that in common, then. Lots of vegetables as main ingredient that make them a lot healthier. I wish we had markets like those in Ohio, I miss that SO much.

  15. Oh yum! This sounds very similar to something my Portuguese grandmother made – except she used fava’s. Looks delicious!

  16. My mouth is watering!!! I agree with you, If you want this dish to taste good, try to find the flat string beans.

  17. So how can an apparently simple dish of stewed beans be so tasty? A mystery. This recipe is magical; I don’t know how else to explain it. I have followed Peter’s version of this dish very closely several times now, and the results have consistently been beyond any reasonable expectation. The combination of the beans, tomatoes, potatoes, parsley, fresh dill, fresh mint, and so forth produces a total knockout success — great aroma, great taste, great texture. Every time we see fresh runner beans (aka Romano beans) in the market, this recipe comes to mind and it has never failed to please. Well done, Peter!

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