Lubiyeh Miqliyeh B'Zeit (String Beans with Tomato and Olive Oil)

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This is a variation of a dish made regularly by Maan, our Lebanese neighbor who, fortunately for the farm crew, loves to cook and feed us! We supply and snap the beans, Mann turns them into this delicious and satisfying dish.

This is not Maan's recipe; he probably doesn't use a recipe any more. But the dish is always rich with olive oil, and the green beans swim in the tomato sauce with a "melt-in-your-mouth" tenderness while still retaining their shape.

Garlic - several cloves or a whole bulb - not optional!

2 medium onions, chopped(optional)

1/4 cup olive oil

1½ pounds string beans, snapped and rinsed

1 medium can whole tomatoes, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

dash cayenne pepper

1. Sauté onions and garlic with oil and salt in a deep skillet or sauce pan over medium heat until translucent.
2. Add string beans, black pepper and cayenne. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer on a medium heat until tender, about 30-35 minutes.
3. Serve hot or warm over rice, riz m'falfal, with khoobz. In the summer it is delicious served cold with bread.

We have also been told to eat it at room temperature. Adding a dollop of "Labneh", Middle Eastern Kefir Cheese (which Maan also supplies) takes this dish into a creamy wonderfulness!

Adapted from "Alice's Kitchen— My Grandmother Dalal & Mother Alice's Traditional Lebanese Cooking" by Linda Dalal Sawaya