zucchini and green apple salad

Without a doubt my favorite new recipe so far this summer! This is beyond “a keeper” into the territory of “one of my favorite salads of all-time”! Happy to share this recipe from Didem Şenol‘s Aegean Flavours, which I read on a wonderful Turkish food blog called Pantry Fun. I’ll include both the original, and the version I made with what I had.

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MY VERSION:

1 large zucchini
1 large sour green apple like Granny Smith
a few spikes of garlic chives and a handful of mint leaves from my garden
half of a small container of goat cheese, crumbled
just a tiny bit of vinegar and olive oil
half a lemon, juiced
a sprinkle of nigella seeds, salt, and pepper

I sliced the zucchini and apple on a mandoline, tore the herbs by hand, and then added the other ingredients and mixed everything together.

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THE ORIGINAL:

2 green courgettes/kabak

1 green apple/yeşil elma

½ bunch of dill/dereotu

1 spring onion/taze soğan

a handful fresh mint leaves/nane

150g lor peyniri OR goat’s cheese/keçi peyniri

20g nigella seeds/çörekotu

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

juice of half a lemon

100ml vinegar/sirke

extra virgin olive oil/sızma zeytinyağı

Slice the courgettes and apple as finely as possible. I used a mandolin slicer. Place the apple slices in water with lemon to prevent them from discolouring. Finely chop the dill, spring onion, and mint and mix with the courgette, apple and cheese. Add the nigella seeds. Add the vinegar and salt, and then finally the olive oil and mix together. The recipe states that if you add the olive oil first, the salad won’t absorb the vinegar. I would say, go carefully with the vinegar and taste the salad as you add it. You don’t want it to be overpoweringly vinegary.

write-up by Claudia at Pantry Fun – original recipe by Didem Şenol

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Absolutely wonderful, fresh, delicious, and healthy. August is the perfect time of year for a no-cook recipe! The goat cheese and lemon are tangy, and the garlic chives and nigella seeds add just enough interesting flavor while still allowing the apple and zucchini taste to shine through. I didn’t have any dill in the house, but I can only imagine that the addition of fresh dill would make this salad almost too delicious to eat. I plan to eat this again and again!

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Looking for more healthy plant-based summer recipes? If you like fresh raw salads, fresh fennel and cucumber salad in yogurt sauce is a favorite of mine. Cucumber salads are so budget-friendly and infinitely adaptable, and of course cooling, refreshing, and hydrating in increasingly hotter summers. I love a charred onion and cucumber salad (vegan!) and a Sichuan style cucumber salad and, if you love the mint and lemon in the zucchini and green apple salad, you’ll love this five-minute healthy cucumber, lime, and mint salad.

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loukaniko (greek sausage)

One of my favorite homemade sausages!

my version:

1 lb. ground pork (or any not-lean meat)
1 lb. ground chicken (or any lean meat)
as much pork fat as you feel comfortable adding (calls for a cup; i add maybe a quarter of this, but it does dry out, so keep this in mind. fatback is the best, if you can source it.)
1.5 T grated orange zest (orange rind only, no white pith underneath – you can buy dehydrated orange zest if you can’t grate)
1.5 T kosher salt, less if fine, more if extra-coarse
1 T sugar
2.5 T minced garlic
0.5 T ground coriander
0.5 T cracked black pepper
1 T fennel seed
0.5 T dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
0.25 cups of red wine (some recipes call for white) with a splash of red wine vinegar
(I will also sometimes add some Chinese garlic chives from my garden; some recipes call for sauteed leeks)

if you’re not me, here you would feed the ingredients through your sausage grinder, stuff them into casings with your sausage machine, and set them to cure.

if you are me, or similarly lazy-yet-broke & without Official Sausage Machine Infrastructure, you will mush all these ingredients together until your hands hurt, then leave in the fridge overnight. keep everything as cold as possible. (you can use a stand mixer if you own $500 kitchen infrastructure.) it will come out crumbly if you use your hands – but if you’re like me, you probably don’t mind that much, haha.

the next day, shape into your preferred shape (i like kofte-style “cigar-shaped” or cylindrical patties formed by squeezing) and pack up to freeze or refrigerate.

recipe by friedsig & based mostly on a recipe by Hank Shaw at Honest Food

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I think I have made this…. three times? It’s a winner every time. Obviously, like all sausages, the possibilities are endless here. Loukaniko can be cooked like any sausage. Form it into a patty and make burgers. Make gravy. Saute a big mess of apples and onions with the sausage, like a cassoulet. Stew it down with white beans. Fry it off and cook some fish in the leftover loukaniko grease. It’s amazing with pasta and a bit of feta. Bake them into savory muffins. Fry them up with eggs and hash browns for breakfast. Bake it into a casserole with veggies, potatoes, or whatever you like. No surprise I love it fried off into a pot of cornmeal mush for an ultimate comfort food. You can grill them, fry them, bake them, even microwave them (although the browned crispy bits are so wonderful that I would advise against it unless you have to.)

Check out the original recipe from Hank Shaw at Honest Food – especially if you want to make real sausages and not my DIY MacGyvered version – and if you like making your own sausages, check out my other favorites, including Lebanese style sausages, chorizo, and maple breakfast sausages!

jerk chicken

Is it the best chicken in the world? I understand if you say “no” – but I might disagree.

• 4 lbs. Chicken
• 10-12 Tablespoons Jerk Seasoning/Marinade
• Lemon/Lime juice or Vinegar
• 2 Teaspoons Garlic Salt (optional)
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Dry Jerk Seasoning

recipe by Xavier Murphy at jamaicans.com

mix everything together. marinate in the refrigerator for at least one day.
then grill it, traditionally over allspice branches for extra flavor, according to Xavier Murphy
(or you can bake it; I won’t tell anyone)

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jerk marinade recipe by Winsome Murphy at jamaicans.com

• ½ cup allspice berries
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 6-8 garlic cloves
• 4-6 Scotch bonnet peppers (note: obviously, this will be quite hot. 1 is not enough. I’d go with at least two, even if you are sensitive to spice.)
• 1 tablespoon ground thyme or 2 tablespoons thyme leaves
• 1-2 bunches scallions (green onions)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoon soy sauce to moisten

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dry jerk seasoning recipe by Imma at African Bites

1½ tablespoon (15 g) onion powder
1½ tablespoon (15 g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon ( 5 g) ground ginger
1 tablespoon ( 5 g) dried thyme
1 teaspoon (2 g) white pepper, freshly ground (I used black pepper)
½ tablespoon (3.5 g) cinnamon
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground allspice
1 tablespoon (7 g) smoked paprika
½ tablespoon (3.5 g) ground nutmeg
2-3 tablespoons (28-42 g) coconut sugar, or replace with brown sugar
½-1 tablespoon (5-10 g) vegetable bouillon. chicken, or Maggi powder (to taste)
1 tablespoon ( 5 g) hot pepper, or more (Scotch bonnet, cayenne pepper, or pepper flakes (to taste)
2 tablespoons (10 g) dried chives or scallions

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A note to our vegan and vegetarian friends: this marinade is unbelievable on tofu, or served as a dipping sauce for grilled veggies, and the dry jerk seasoning is fantastic on everything from corn-on-the-cob to grilled cauliflower. It’s quite adaptable! Blend the marinade with a mango for a surprisingly good hot sauce. Coat fish before roasting. Sprinkle the dry seasoning on frozen fries or veggies before you bake them. The possibilities are endless! What is your favorite thing to jerk?

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I understand that someone out there might prefer something sweeter and less spicy, like an apricot-honey chicken tagine. Someone might prefer a five-ingredient chipotle-lime chicken to save time. They might even prefer their chicken fried and not grilled, like Korean-style fried chicken. However, I am not these people. I am a simple jerk, and I know of no better chicken on the planet than an authentic plate of jerk chicken, grilled up by a Caribbean family, served with a bit of ginger drink and a shot of rum. However, if you’re not invited to the Jamaican barbecue, you can make this. It might be a bit lonelier, and it will not taste the same. But it’s damn good.

moong dal tadka (indian lentils)

this dal can be made more easily by someone with limited ingredients.

please check out hebbar’s kitchen for the full recipe with photo step-by-step!

moong dal recipe | moong dal tadka | restaurant style yellow moong dal

• 2 tbsp oil
• ▢ 1 inch ginger (finely chopped)
• ▢ ½ onion (finely chopped)
• ▢ 1 green chilli (slit) (I wouldn’t include this if I was cooking it for a picky eater)
• ▢ 1 tomato (finely chopped)
• ▢ ¼ tsp turmeric / haldi
• ▢ ½ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
• ▢ 1 tsp salt
• ▢ ¾ cup moong dal
• ▢ 3 cup water

for tempering / tadka:

• ▢ 1 tbsp ghee / clarified butter
• ▢ 1 tsp cumin / jeera
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
• ▢ 1 inch ginger (julienne)
• ▢ 1 dried kashmiri red chilli
• ▢ ¼ tsp kashmiri red chilli powder / lal mirch powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp garam masala
• ▢ pinch of hing / asafoetida
• ▢ few curry leaves
  
• ▢ 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• ▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice

• in an instant pot (or regular pot) heat 2 tbsp oil and saute ½ onion.
• also saute 1 inch ginger and 1 green chilli.
• additionally saute 1 tomato till it turns soft and mushy.
• add in ¼ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp salt and saute.
• now add ¾ cup washed moong-dal and 3 cup water.
• mix well making sure everything is combined well.
• cover and cook until dal is soft.
• now prepare the tadka and pour the tadka over dal along with 2 tbsp coriander leaves and 1 tbsp lemon juice.
• finally, mix the moong dal tadka and serve with hot rice / roti.
  
  recipe by hebbars kitchen – check out their blog for a fantastic visual recipe!

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This is not as flavorful as my favorite Gujarati dal – not coconutty like Khandeshi dal, or heavy like dal makhani – but the tadka has some good flavor. I’ll make it again. It will probably be my go-to dal recipe when I am cooking in a kitchen without many ingredients, and the dal I will recommend for picky eaters or those who are new to Indian food and aren’t ready for fenugreek, coconut, or tamarind. (Might want to cut the chili by quite a bit for a picky eater, especially if it sits overnight and the slit chili infuses itself into your leftovers!) It’s quite flavorful from the tadka, and I had absolutely no problem eating an entire batch of this over not even 24 hours. (Sorry, potluck dal…. you just lost your place in my rotation.)

Thanks again to hebbars kitchen for a great recipe. Check out all their wonderful dal recipes – or check out mine!

wiggly little coconut adzuki bean puddings (椰汁紅豆糕)

This is really cute. Pink and jiggly. Possibly the only cute food I am willing to enjoy. & it’s delicious. Thanks to Buzz in the Kitchen for this recipe!

Ingredients
100g red Adzuki beans
100g corn starch
400ml coconut milk
100ml evaporated milk
700ml red bean water/water
150g sugar

Soak red beans for an hour and cook in water till the beans are soft (same method as cooking red bean soup). Strain red beans and keep both red beans and water for use later. You can use leftover red bean soup as well.

Mix coconut milk, evaporated milk and corn starch in a bowl and stir well.

Re-heat the red bean water. Switch to low heat, pour in cornstarch mixture and stir in one direction till thicken. Keep stirring to prevent lumps forming. Turn off fire and stir in the red beans.

Pour mixture into a mold/baking tray that has been rinsed with cold water. Let it cool and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Invert pudding onto a plate, cut and serve.

recipe by Buzz in the Kitchen

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I really can’t say enough good things about this pudding. It’s so easy! So fast once your beans are cooked! It’s sweet, but not cloying. The Adzuki beans add texture and a savory note to the pudding. The coconut flavor is strong. I was expecting cleanup to be a nightmare due to the corn starch, but my saucepan came clean pretty quickly. The thickening process took a bit longer than I was expecting, but totally worth the time spent.

It looked a little clumpy when it was done, but it came out smooth with an almost Jello-like consistency. I poured the finished pudding into small glass containers instead of one large pan like Mummy B and I definitely recommend this method if you plan to eat this throughout the week. It’s really delightful turning the little individual puddings upside-down onto a plate to admire the wiggliness.

Again, I am not a “cute foods” person. I find most “cute” food, like lunches cut to look like cartoon characters, somewhere closer to creepy. There is, however, no denying that the cuteness is inherent in the food, and is not a reflection on the observer. Want to fight about it? I do! Please fight me so I can feel alive again.

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Thank you again to Buzz in the Kitchen for this totally delightful recipe. Definitely going into my rotation stack.

chicken dam kebab (chicken kebab with coconut and almond)

Whoa! A chicken coconut kebab recipe!

Thank you so much to Sidra at My Passion for Cooking for this wonderful recipe!

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1 lb. minced/ground chicken
1 tablespoon almond paste (I used a blender)
1 tablespoon dried/dessicated coconut (also used a blender)
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1.5 teaspoons crushed coriander seed
0.5 teaspoons allspice powder
1 teaspoon pepper (original recipe calls for white pepper)
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 tablespoons ghee or mixed ghee/oil
4 tablespoons yogurt
4 tablespoons cream, milk, or coconut milk
salt, green chili paste, and ground red chili, to taste (original calls for 1.5 teaspoons of salt; even half of that is too much for me personally)

note: you may need to add breadcrumbs or flour if your minced chicken was as mushy as mine. Freshly ground chicken likely won’t need this, but the cheap packaged stuff from Aldi was almost wet before adding the yogurt.

Shallow fry, being careful not to let them dry out. To reheat, she recommends simmering them in minced fresh tomatoes and green chilis. Check out Sidra‘s photos to see how good they look simmered in that sauce!

recipe by Sidra from My Passion for Cooking

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100% agree with Sidra that this is different than your everyday kebab. Easy, quick, no ultra-strong flavors so it would be great for a picky eater or a picky GI issue, and infinitely adaptable. I can see this being great with a bunch of leftover cilantro inside (like Shabnam’s lemon meatballs) or substituting the ground almond with cashews, walnuts, pine nuts, or whatever you have in the house. You could add garam masala for an extra kick of flavor, or leave out the garlic if your gastro issues prefer it. Don’t get me wrong; these are NOT bland. They are subtle, with a creamy coconut aftertaste. They reheat very well. I plan to make a few pounds of these and freeze them. Honestly I have been eating them straight out of the fridge, but I could see these being amazing served with absolutely anything. I’d eat these with couscous and a cucumber salad. I would eat these as sandwiches, stuffed into pita with lots of greens. They’d probably be perfect with peanut-coconut asparagus or sesame-peanut eggplant. But they’re also just perfect eaten with whatever veggies you have lying around, or, in my experience, crammed into your mouth in a rush to catch the bus!

Definitely a recommended recipe! Adding this to the “rotation” tag because this one is a keeper.

savory bread pudding (strata) with spinach, mushrooms, and roasted garlic

Your new favorite make-ahead-of-time breakfast!

This is one of those great “no recipe” recipes, thanks to epi’s “How to Make Strata”. They recommend a ratio of 1 part milk + 1 part eggs + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread. Today’s add-ins are sauteed mushrooms with sauteed baby spinach and roasted garlic. But you can add almost ANYTHING. What about leftover stewed greens with leftover jerk chicken? Or leftover jambalaya with andouille sausage and bell peppers? Chorizo and salsa with roasted tomatillos or serrano peppers? Make sure to cook your add-ins ahead of time, unless it’s a fresh herb or something delicate and fresh. If you’re using something with high water content like spinach, make sure to squeeze it before adding it so the strata isn’t soggy. I’ll share my recipe, but don’t be constrained by this: almost any cheese, any meat, any veggies would be amazing in this!

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1 part milk + 1 part eggs + 1 part cheese + 1 part add-ins (optional) + 2 parts bread

1 loaf bread, cut into bite-sized cubes

milk and/or cream (can even add cream cheese! I did, because I had some in the house, inspired by Melissa Roberts for Gourmet magazine)

soooo many eggs (I used maybe 9)

1 pack mushrooms

1/2 head garlic

1 pack spinach

3/4 brick of Swiss (or cheddar, or whatever,) or to taste, shredded

a little blue cheese, grated parmesan, or whatever you have in the house

thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, or whatever you like

salt and pepper

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toast bread in a 250 degree oven until crispy, ~5-10 minutes

roast garlic at 450 until paper is burnt, remove cloves from paper

saute mushrooms and spinach. season

butter your baking dish, and begin to layer ingredients. pour custard mixture over the ingredients. top with cheese, if desired. cover baking dish with foil, and rest between an hour and 24 hours.

preheat oven to 350. bake ~20 minutes wrapped in foil, then remove foil and continue baking for another 15 to 30 minutes depending on the size of your strata. epi says it’s set when the center no longer jiggles.

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recipe by epi

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This is REALLY good. Not only was it easy to make, it was very affordable, kept wonderfully in the fridge all week, and made me excited to eat my veggies! I can’t wait to try this with broccoli and sharp cheddar, or fresh dill and asparagus. & I think the Serious Eats suggestion for a French onion strata sounds incredible… but it is just begging for some veggies….

You are only limited by your imagination here. The internet suggests ham-and-cheese stratas, as well as some really wild-sounding variations like tomato-and-basil, butternut squash and prosciutto, and, believe it or not, a reuben strata with sauerkraut and pumpernickel bread. What’s your favorite savory bread pudding?

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dukkah tomato chicken stew

This easy nutty, seedy spice blend from Northern Africa is a great way to switch up your chicken routine.

In the past few months, I have made a lot of chicken. This recipe tastes a lot better than a typical quick chicken recipe. If you make a batch of dukkah, you’ll have months of fast, easy, surprisingly delicious chicken dinners.

Thanks to Foods from Africa for this one.

I left out a lot of ingredients- sundried tomatoes, second batch of smoked paprika, parsley, black olives… still absolutely delicious.

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800 g chicken legs
6 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp Moroccan dukkah spice
5 g fresh thyme

Sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves
50 g sundried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp moroccan dukkah spice
1 tsp smoked paprika
500 ml tomato sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar brown sugar to taste
1 chicken stock cube splash of homemade chicken stock or small amount of bouillon
85 g pitted black olives
handful bay leaves
handful fresh thyme sprigs
handful parsley, fresh and chopped

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Mix the lemon juice, olive oil and all the spices together. Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade, ensuring an even distribution over the chicken. Cover with clingfilm and allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.
Heat a pan and when hot, add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Fry the chicken pieces for 3 minutes per side, to brown them. Ensure that the chicken is not crowded inside the pan. Remove when both sides have been browned and set aside.
In that same pan, and on medium heat, add the chopped onions, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Fry for 3 – 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir frequently to prevent the onions from burning.
Add the dukkah spice and paprika. Stir to mix properly. Then add the tomato sauce, stock cube, brown sugar and the bay leaves and fresh thyme sprigs. Add back the fried chicken to the pan and stir to mix.
Cover the pan, and allow the sauce to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 45 minutes.
Uncover the pan and add the olives. Cook for another 10 minutes uncovered. Then take off the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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recipe by Foods from Africa

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Ever since America’s Test Kitchen told me that marinating meat is a scam, I have stuck with my old-fashioned method of bringing chicken to room temperature, salt-and-peppering the skin, browning in a hot skillet, and sticking the whole skillet in the oven at 425 for a few minutes. It’s the best way to cook a crispy-skinned chicken.

So it’s been FOREVER since I’ve marinated chicken, so I wanted to try this. It’s very different than my usual chicken. However, I really, really liked it a lot, and I definitely plan to tweak and experiment with this recipe. Trying it again for sure; adding this to the “rotation” tag.

I have been rushing home from work on the weekdays to have lunch at home. I scraped the sauce from the chicken thighs, reheating the chicken in a skillet. When they were almost warm, I added the sauce back to just gently reheat it before serving.

Great with rice, on crackers, and even over pasta. Recommended!

If you like chicken with a lot of Northern African or Middle Eastern flavors but not a lot of heat, try this apricot-honey chicken tagine, Saudi kabsa (chicken), or this herb and citrus roasted chicken.

Tons more chicken recipes here on friedsig, too!

eggplant and tomato high summer puff pie

August garden abundance? This pie was one of my favorite meals this summer.

—THE INGREDIENTS
Eggplant
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Onions and/or garlic
Salt and pepper, and your favorite herb (fresh basil from the garden?) or seasoning (I used fresh mint)
Puff pastry
Yogurt and feta (or pesto, or leftover tomato sauce…)
(optional) Melty cheese for the top, like brick mozzarella or pepper jack

—THE VEGETABLES
The goal is to get the moisture out, so the crust doesn’t go soggy. I went all out with this and pan-fried slices of eggplant after a salt soak, and then slices of zucchini. To save time, you could just roast everything until it’s mush, and then layer it in the pie. Might not look as pretty, but it’ll do the trick!

I used slices of fresh raw tomatoes – way too moist for the crust. Remove seeds and goopy parts, and then roast or broil slices of tomatoes, or pan-fry slices on a medium-high heat.

I used a zwiebelkuchen technique on the onions. I sauteed them on a super low heat for about 45 minutes, until they got caramelized, and then added a splash of apple cider vinegar to make them sweet and tart! Recommended, but not necessary. Added a little minced garlic right at the end, too.

—THE FILLING
I loved a Mediterranean style filling: crumbled feta mixed with yogurt and salt. But it would be great with a layer of sour cream, creme fraiche, yogurt cheese, pesto, leftover strained tomato sauce, bechamel… My mom made one this week, inspired by my recipe, with just fried zucchini and sour cream, and she said she loved it with sour cream.

If you want it super-cheesy, feta isn’t necessary. You could make this with mozzarella, sharp cheddar, even swiss. Whatever floats your boat.

Or leave the dairy out completely and add a layer of pesto. This is a very flexible pie!

—THE CRUST
You can definitely make this with any kind of crust. Puff is tricky about moisture – next time I plan to try the just-a-layer-of-tomatoes “crust” from posh in progress.

—TO ASSEMBLE PIE
preheat oven. (maybe 350 if your pie is deep and heavy, or 375 if you’re using a traditional, shallow pie dish?)

prepare pie crust. if using a homemade crust, blind bake the crust. if using frozen puff, defrost and roll out. if using frozen phyllo, brush sheets with melted butter and layer in a casserole dish.

add a layer of the driest eggplant to the bottom of the dish.

next, add a layer of zucchini slices and a layer of tomatoes. (or. you know. whatever order you want to layer them in is fine.)

pour on a layer of your filling, making sure that you strain the excess moisture if you’re using a very wet sauce.

repeat til you reach near the top of the dish, or until you’re out of ingredients. top with a melting cheese if you like.

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Recipe by me, sig at friedsig and inspired by a zweibelkuchen and a typical summer pie

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Absolutely one of my favorite things to happen during this long and difficult summer. Sending love to (almost) everyone reading this.

gigantes plaki sto fourno (vegan Greek white beans in tomato sauce)

One of the most wonderful ways to cook white beans! White wine and potatoes lend a complex flavor and body to such an easy recipe. It’s similar to bubbling butter beans (but vegan!). Ivy’s recipe calls for Kozani gigantes beans, giant Greek white beans, but large white fava beans / butter beans, cannellini beans, or any other mild white bean would work here. You could probably even substitute chickpeas or black-eyed peas. I used dry fava beans.

Really solid recipe. Definitely a keeper. Thanks to Ivy from Kopiaste for this fantastic traditional recipe!

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300 grams Kozani gigantes beans
2 bay leaves
2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup of olive oil
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and blended or 1 can of whole tomatoes (500 grams)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup white dry wine (optional)
1 cup of parsley, finely chopped
1 -2 stalks celery ribs, finely chopped
3 big carrots, finely chopped
1 big potato (cubed) optional
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, finely chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon thyme honey (optional) (add sugar for vegan dish)
½ teaspoon chili pepper (optional)
2 cups water

Instructions

Soak the beans in plenty of water, overnight.
Drain and put them in a pot with fresh water and bring to a boil.
Remove any froth forming on top, with a slotted ladle.
Drain them again and add fresh water as well as the bay leaves and bring to a boil. Add salt, lower heat and simmer until almost cooked (about 1 hour and 30 minutes).
Drain and discard the bay leaves.
Put the beans in a Dutch oven or a Pyrex.
Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F.
Meantime, heat the olive oil in a sautéing pan and sauté onions and garlic until translucent.
Add the chopped celery, carrots, potato, fresh oregano and beans and mix.
Add wine and cook for a few minutes, then add the honey, tomato, salt and pepper and water and mix. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the beans and cover with the lid. If using a Pyrex, cover with aluminium foil.
Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the beans are soft and the sauce is thick, mixing once, after an hour has passed.
Remove from the oven and mix in the parsley.

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recipe by Ivy from Kopiaste

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Really great use of early season sour tomatoes – the wine and honey adds the perfect balance. I left out the parsley and celery.

I definitely recommend this recipe.

If you love white beans, check out this similar recipe for bubbling butter beans – or my favorite new soup, roasted poblano and white bean soup.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, this is a great main dish, served with something like Greek rice-spinach, or melitzanosalata (greek eggplant dip) with some crusty bread.

If you love meat in your meal, I could see this as a fantastic side dish for anything from a herb and lemon roast chicken to lemon meatballs with tahini sauce.