Olive oil braised beans with lemon and tomato (zeytinyağli bakla)

Simple spring ingredients come together to deliver a slow-cooked dish that gives new life to beans.

• serves

  6-8

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  1 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

"Spring in the Turkish world means produce so perfect at the start of the season that it doesn’t need peeling or podding … in this case, the whole broad bean pod is cooked slowly with lemon, tomato and olive oil to create a meltingly delicious vegetarian masterpiece. Chef Ibrahim Kasif (Stanbuli) says he learnt many of his techniques and classic recipes from his beloved grandparents with whom he spent much time as he was growing up." Maeve O'Meara, Food Safari Earth

Ingredients

• 3 kg baby broad beans in the pod (or use flat or round beans), washed
• 5 vine-ripened tomatoes, blanched, peeled and roughly chopped
• 20 g sugar
• 200 ml lemon juice
• 200 ml extra virgin olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large onions, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 bunch parsley, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 bunch dill, roughly chopped

Standing time: 15 mins

Instructions

To prepare the beans, starting from the top of the beans, run a small sharp knife down both sides to remove the strings, but keep the beans in-tact.

Place the diced tomatoes in a bowl with the sugar, lemon juice and half the oil. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the macerated tomatoes and cook, stirring continuously for 10 minutes – you’re looking for a split, oily sauce.

Add the beans to the tomato mixture with a touch more salt and cook for another 20 minutes. Add enough water to just cover and simmer, uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Add the parsley and cook for another 5 minutes, the remove from the heat. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then stir in the chopped dill and more lemon juice and salt if needed. Serve.

Photography by Sharyn Cairns. Styling by Lee Blaylock. Food preparation by Emma Warren. Creative concept by Belinda So.

Brand-new series Food Safari Earth airs Thursdays at 8pm on SBS then on SBS On Demand. For recipes and more visit the program site right here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

"Spring in the Turkish world means produce so perfect at the start of the season that it doesn’t need peeling or podding … in this case, the whole broad bean pod is cooked slowly with lemon, tomato and olive oil to create a meltingly delicious vegetarian masterpiece. Chef Ibrahim Kasif (Stanbuli) says he learnt many of his techniques and classic recipes from his beloved grandparents with whom he spent much time as he was growing up." Maeve O'Meara, Food Safari Earth