Loubieh bi Zayt

Loubieh bi zayt — green beans in olive oil — is a quintessential Lebanese mezze and home-cooking dish, eaten warm or at room temperature. The technique is typical of the Eastern Mediterranean: vegetables are braised low and slow in abundant olive oil with onion and tomato until they are completely tender and have absorbed the flavours of the sauce. It is eaten as part of meze, alongside bread and olives, or as a main course for vegetarian households. Served cold the next day, it tastes even better.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 600g (1 lb 5 oz) flat or round green beans, ends trimmed
• 4 tbsp (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 400g (14 oz) ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (or one 400g tin)
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp sugar
• 100ml (scant ½ cup) water
• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and black pepper

To serve:

• Warm flatbread or crusty bread
• Extra olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan or casserole over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook gently for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to turn golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more, then add the allspice, cinnamon and sugar. Stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add the tomatoes and water. Stir to combine, increase heat and bring to a brisk simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down.
4. Add the trimmed green beans, stirring to coat them in the tomato sauce. Season generously with salt and black pepper.
5. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender — not crisp. The sauce should be thick and the oil should have separated and pooled slightly on the surface, which is correct.
6. Stir in most of the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Serve warm or at room temperature, drizzled with a little extra olive oil and scattered with remaining parsley, with plenty of flatbread.

Cook's Notes: The long cooking time is essential — this dish is not meant to produce bright green, crisp beans. The beans should be silky and yielding. Substituting runner beans or romano beans works well. The dish improves overnight in the fridge and can be served cold as part of a meze table.