Turkish Style Green Beans - Recipe

This is my take on the classic Turkish dish of "Green Beans and Olive Oil". I absolutely love the simple combination of flavors used, and especially dig the addition of chopped tomatoes.  Although I think the way the Turks make it is delicious, I wanted to give my own, slightly healthier spin to it. Traditionally, this dish has quite a lot of olive oil in it, but I've used significantly less. Also, the green beans are generally stewed for an hour, until extremely soft, but I wanted to retain some of the crispness; and so mine are cooked in about half the time. I've also tweaked the recipe by adding a bit of lemon. Hopefully I haven't offended any Turks by messing with their classic ; ) - At least, my husband approved!



Turkish Style Green Beans



About 1 lb Green Beans ( I forgot to weigh them, so this is a guesstimate : )

1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 lemon, for juice and zest
2 large tomatoes
1 cup water
Generous pinch of sugar




Method:

Wash green beans and trim the ends. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pot (Use a pot that has a lid). Saute red onions in olive oil until they soften - about 5 minutes. Toss in green beans, salt, pepper, and garlic. Saute 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half. Using your fingers (or a tomato shark), pull out the seeds and discard them. Then, chop the tomatoes into chunks.


Stir tomatoes, water and sugar into pot. Then, zest 1/2 to 1 whole lemon into pot (I zested the whole lemon. It was tangy but delicious). Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the pot.  Stir, and cover pot. Simmer on medium-low for 20 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.


Traditionally, this dish is served cold or at room temperature. Although it's great either way, I like to eat mine hot. Well, here's hoping you'll give it a try. Enjoy!