Green Bean Tomato Mezze (Lubia)
Green Bean Tomato Mezze, or Lubia is a staple in Middle Eastern Kitchens. A great side dish, or mezze, but also as lunch with some warm Pita. I often bring this to dinners or potlucks as it travels well and can be served at room temperatures.
This dish can be made anytime of year, but is especially wonderful in summertime with just picked Green Beans. The rest of the ingredients are pantry staples. Use organic ground Spices, and a good quality Sea Salt; I buy Celtic or Himalayan. Use high quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil for your dressing. Choose organic, cold pressed Olive Oil made in a single region, not multiple regions. One that has a harvest date on the bottle, the more recent the better, I like to buy mine harvested within the year.
Organic Ingredients: Serves 4
1 Bag of Green Beans, remove any ends and wash and chop into 2 inch pieces
1 Onion, peel and chop into thin crescents
2-3 Cloves Garlic, peeled and crushed to a paste in a pestle and mortar
1 Jar Crushed Tomato
1 Tsp. each Ground Cumin, Paprika
1/2 Tsp. each Ground Turmeric, Corinader
1/4 Tsp. each Cinnamon, Allspice, Saffron, Black Pepper, Cayenne
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon
Sea Salt to taste
1/2 Cup Water
Olive Oil for cooking
Method:
Saute Onion in Olive Oil on medium heat for approx. 10 minutes, stirring to avoid burning. When Onions are translucent and starting to brown add all the Spices except for the Saffron. Add the Garlic and temper with Spices for a minute. Add Green Beans and stir well to incorporate all the flavors for a minute. Add Tomato, Water, Lemon Juice and one teaspoon of Salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat to a low-medium simmer. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove cover, add Saffron, taste, and add Salt to taste. Cover and cook for a final few minutes while you toast your bread. Beans should be tender to eat. Serve with warm toasted Pita Bread. Can be served hot or at room temp. and as part of a Mezze, with Tabbouleh and Hummous.
Notes:
An alternative to buying all these spices, if you can find Ras-El-Hanout at your grocery store, it has all of them in one. Except for the Saffron and Cayenne. If using Ras-El-Hanout I would add a Tsp. more of Cumin to the mix as well.
The Crushed Tomatoes you use in this recipe will alter the flavor of your dish. I use Jovial Crushed Tomatoes.