Lebanesesyrian Fasoulia Recipes

FASOULIA (BREAKFAST KIDNEY BEAN DISH)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until softened, about 5 more minutes. Mix in tomato and tomato paste; stir to combine with the onion and jalapeno pepper. Pour in the kidney beans with their liquid; stir in the cumin and curry powder. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the beans are hot and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.

FASOLIA (GREEN BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir lamb neck bones in hot butter until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir water, tomato sauce, salt, allspice, and pepper together in a small bowl; pour into the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the skillet, and cook until the meat pulls away from the neck bones, about 45 minutes.
• Put green beans and potatoes into the skillet so they are in liquid, replace cover, and continue cooking until the beans are tender and the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard bones before serving.

LEBANESE/SYRIAN FASOULIA

Steps:

• Brown meat in a large frying pan with some olive oil from the bottle. Add season salt if desired or use regular salt and pepper. Make sure all pieces of meat have been browned. Set aside.
• In a stew pan, over medium heat, add the olive oil and the tomato paste. Fry the tomato paste about 5-8 minutes. If it seems dry, add more oil in small amounts. It should be chunky in the oil, not runny like soup. Stir constantly! This will burn very easily.
• Turn down the heat, add 2 cups of water. Stand back, it may spit at you! Continue to add the water in 2-cup increments. Add the boullion cubes. Stir around and scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure all tomato paste is mixed in the water.
• Add the lima beans and the meat. Bring to a boil (should take about 5 minutes) then reduce to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Depending on the quality of the meat, it may take 2-4 hours for the meat to become tender.
• Add more water if too much boils out or it is too salty.
• Serve with Middle Eastern rice.
• This can be prepared in a stainless steel or non-stick pan. I prefer non-stick. Additionally, it may be transferred to a crock pot to simmer all day. Never leave food cooking on the stove unattended!

LEBANESE BUTTER BEAN STEW (FASOLIA RECIPE | + VEGAN VERSION)

Steps:

• If you're using dried beans, first make sure to rinse and then leave them to soak overnight (at least 8hrs).Then, on the day of making the stew, you'll first need to prepare the beef (if using). You could also cook the vermicelli rice in advance or cook it while preparing the butter bean stew.
• Tinned beans: drain and rinse the beans well, then bring the beans to a boil with 4 cups of water in a deep pot over medium heat. Remove the white foam from the top of the beans, then add ½ tsp salt and one bay leaf. Then cover the beans loosely with a lid (to stop the beans from overflowing). Simmer for 10 minutes. Then drain and rinse once more before setting aside.Technically, the tinned beans don't need to pre-cook before being added to the main pan. I just do so for extra tender results and a little extra flavor. Alternatively, you can add the beans to the pan before adding the tomatoes to the pan and add the bay leaf and salt to the pan.Dry beans: after soaking them overnight, rinse the beans well, then add them to a deep saucepan with 6 cups of water. You can then follow the method above. However, you'll need to simmer the beans for between 20-30 minutes instead.
• Separate the cilantro leaves from the stems and finely chop the stems. Then, store the leaves back in the fridge to keep them "fresh" (we'll be using them at the end).
• Slice the garlic and, if you're using fresh tomatoes, chop roughly and add them to a blender to process into a thick "juice."
• In a large, deep pot (or Dutch oven), heat the oil. Then add the chopped garlic and sauté for just 30-40 seconds over medium heat.
• Add the tomato paste and mix in before adding the crushed coriander seeds. Stir once more, then sauté for two minutes.
• Add the chopped cilantro stems and stir before adding the tomato juice. Mix once more, then allow the mixture to simmer over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes. During this time, it should reduce and thicken slightly.
• Add the cooked beef, beef stock, and beans to the pot. Then mix well, reduce the heat to low, and allow it to simmer for a further 10 minutes.For the vegetarian butter bean stew, add vegetable stock. You may also want to introduce extra fats with the addition of an additional tablespoon of olive oil. This will create a silky-smooth fasolia with a better mouthfeel.
• Add the salt and pepper (to taste), stir, and cook for two minutes before adding the lemon juice and removing the fasolia from the heat.
• Finally, add the cilantro leaves and gently fold them into the stew. Then serve it up along the sides of your choice.
• Store: allow the fasolia to cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.Freeze: make sure to store the bean stew in an airtight container/s for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.Reheat: you can reheat the fasolia on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated throughout.

FASSOULIA

Steps:

• Rub the brisket with garlic, salt and pepper.
• Brown in a little oil.
• Put in water, spices and onions
• Simmer covered for 3 hours.
• Tip the string beans; add to the meat and simmer for 1/2 hour more.