Greek Summer Beans. Fasolakia. ©
Quick and easy and makes a wonderful vegetarian dish. Can be eaten hot or cold and excellent with Feta cheese.
Easy
6 persons
Ingredients
1 kilo green beans
2 medium onions, finely grated
2 large ripe summer tomatoes, grated
2 large courgettes
Bunch of roughly chopped parsley
1 tbs tomato puree
Olive oil
salt and pepper
Method
1. Wash, top and tail and string beans. Wash courgettes, top and tail and cut into mouth sized chunks.
2.Peel and grate onion on fine grater, then grate tomato discarding the the stalk end and skin that remains, once you have grated it.
3. Cover base of saucepan with olive oil and add the above vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, dilute tomato puree in a little water and add.
4. Add enough water to be just visible down the sides, season and cover with lid and simmer for about an hour.If there is too much liquid, towards the end of the cooking time, remove lid and allow to reduce.
5. Some people cook the beans on a very low simmer, for anything up to two hours, until nearly all the liquid is reduced and just the oil remains. This method is equally delicious. Be careful to check from time to time that your vegetables are not catching on the bottom, in which case, add a little more water and shake the saucepan.
N.B. Have in mind some types of green beans cook quicker than others. Some also have strings and some don’t. It is very important to remove the strings, as they are not nice to eat. For the new cooks out there, to remove the strings, you cut into the side of the bean slightly, where the line is and gently pull downwards. The string will pull away right to the bottom. Then do the other side.
Top and tail beans and string, if necessary.
Top and tail courgettes and cut into mouth sized chunks.
Chop parsley roughly and add to saucepan.
Add fresh or tinned tomatoes.
Mix the vegetables lightly together, add a little water, until just visible down the sides of your saucepan.
Dilute tomato puree and add. Season.
This is what your saucepan will look like at the beginning of your cooking.
Final result. Most of the liquid has been reduced. Serve with Feta Cheese.
I have posted this before, but it is a wonderful soup and what I have prepared for our dinner tonight with the wonderful ripe tomatoes from our kitchen garden……
Easy Summer Soup!
4 Persons
Ingredients
2 kilos Ripe Summer tomatoes
200 g carton of ‘Total Fage’ Greek thick yogurt
1-2 tbs finely chopped Basil,
2 tsp salt or more
Method
1. Wash tomatoes well. Use only very ripe ones.
2. Score tomatoes with a small “X” at top end, (not stalk end) and dip tomatoes into boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove dip into cold water to stop cooking process and peel.
3. Cut up roughly and place in blender, together with yogurt and salt. Blend briefly , so that soup is chunky.
4. Place in soup terrine and chill for at least two hours covered with cling film.
5. Serve same day, if you leave longer, tomatoes go bitter, like left Orange juice.
6. Taste for salt…
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Greek Stuffed Courgettes with Avgolemono Sauce ©
This is an all time favorite of mine, taught to me by dear Varvara, shades of different times, elegant lunches, different generations….
Easy
6 Persons
Ingredients
10-12 Medium Sized Courgettes
Stuffing
1/2 kilo good mince meat
2-3 finely grated onion
1 tbs each of chopped parsley, mint, basil.
1 cup olive oil
3-4 tbs patna rice ( the pearly kind) or basmati
Salt and Pepper
A little flour to dip and seal ‘stoppers.’
Cooking Liquor
300 ml or more of Chicken stock
1/2 lemon juice
50g butter
Salt pepper
Garnish
parsley leaves
Avgolemono Sauce
2 egg yolks
2 tsp corn flour
1. 1/2 juice of lemon
the stock from the boiling of the courgettes
2 tbs cream optional
Method
1. Important : Choose nice medium sized courgettes. About 12 cm in length and 4 cm in diameter. This means they are thin and elegant , but thick enough to core, with out breaking the sides.
2. Wash and lightly scrape outside skins with a serrated knife, if at all bruised. Cut off stalk and cut second slice 1 cm in. Keep this as a stopper for later.
3. Using a potato peeler, or special corer, remove the inside pulp of the courgette carefully, so as not the damage the out side. This is not difficult, just requires a little patience. Discard pulp.
4. Mix together ingredients for stuffing, and stuff courgettes, using the handle of a tea-spoon to push stuffing down into courgette.Tap courgette on chopping board to help the stuffing go to the bottom. Leave a little space at the top, as stuffing will expand and stop with reserved stopper.
5. Lay courgettes down in saucepan and cover with chicken stock until the stock comes half way up the courgettes. Add the butter, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
6. Bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on, for 3/4 hr. Test with tip of the knife, they should be soft when cooked, if not leave a little longer.
7. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and arrange down center of serving dish. You can also pile a few on top.
8. Sieve the stock which the courgettes have been boiling in into clean saucepan. Beat egg yolks together with lemon juice and corn flour in a separate bowl, using a fork and add two table spoons of sieved stock. Now return this to the rest of the stock and GENTLY heat until the sauce thickens. Do NOT allow to boil, as eggs will curdle. Taste, for seasoning and lemon.The sauce should be nice and tasty and lemony. Add a dash of cream, just before serving.
9. Pour over courgettes just before serving and decorate with parsley.
Just delicious!
N.B. Varvara always says, “Opou beni voutiro kai krema galaktos, panda to veltioni.” “When ever cream and butter are added, the recipe always improves!”
This is the ideal size for stuffing. The old style potato peeler is perfect for removing the inside pulp.
Scrape outer skin with serrated knife.
Trim both ends, peel onions and leave to soak in water for a few minutes.
Turn the pointed peeler round and round, slowly removing the pulp. Do this slowly and carefully so they don’t split.
Lay in saucepan and stuff one by one.
Put the ingredients for the stuffing into a bowl and mix together. Here you can see the pearly rice required.
Stuffing ready and mixed.
Stuff courgettes with the help of the handle of a teaspoon. Leave a little space at the top, as rice will swell.
Dip stoppers in flour and seal.
Lay courgettes down in saucepan and half cover with stock, butter, lemon juice and seasoning.
Once courgettes are cooked, 3/4 hr or more, test with the sharp point of a knife.The courgettes should be soft.
Remove courgettes carefully with a slotted spoon onto a warm serving dish and sieve the liquor they have been boiling in, into a clean saucepan.
Beat up egg yolks together with lemon juice and corn flour and add 2 tbs of stock. Then return this to your
sauce pan of stock. Heat very gently, stirring all the time, until thickened. Do not allow to boil, or eggs will
curdle.
Taste for seasoning and lemon.
Egg and Lemon Sauce> Avgolemono. Delicious…..
Final Result!
What's Cooking In Jane's Kitchen 