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BRAISED GREEN BEANS - LUBIA

Sarah
A grove’s worth of olive oil, tomatoes, fresh garlic, onions and harissa makes a delicious braise for green beans in this classic Eastern Mediterranean recipe.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 medium onions diced
  • 1 can of chopped tomatoes approximately 1 cup
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoon Baharat* or 7-spice
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon harissa
  • 1 cup of chicken stock or water
  • 2 medium-sized potatoes peel and cubed
  • olive oil - A healthy amount 😉
  • 1 kg fresh green beans
  • 2 garlic cloves smashed into a paste

All-purpose Baharat: 

  • Makes ⅔ cup
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper freshly cracked
  • 1 tablespoon ginger ground
  • 1 tbsp allspice ground
  • 1 tsp cinnamon ground
  • 4 tablespoon paprika ground
  • 3 tablespoon ground each of coriander & ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoon ground cardamom & ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the spices. Mix all together and store in an airtight container. I know this recipe calls for a lot of spices but this is an all-purpose spice that you can use in any recipe calling for Baharat or 7-spice.
  • Clean and season: clean your chicken with water to remove any gross bits. In a small bowl, mix the turmeric, Bharat, and black pepper. Coat the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the spice mixture. Set aside the rest of the mixture for later use.
  • Warm the olive oil, on medium heat, then add the onion, cook, until transparent, then add the rest of the spices and give it a little stir. Make space for the chicken, by moving the onions to the side or making pockets for the chicken to sit. Then lay the chicken skin-side down in the pan.
  • Let it get crispy, no peeking! The chicken will let you know when they're ready to flip because they won't stick. The skin should be crispy and release very easily from the pan. Flip the chicken thighs and let's move on to the next step. Some times they don't release easily, but this isn't very common, but it can happen it your heat is too high.
  • Time to get saucy, add the tomato paste, harissa, and diced tomatoes. Allow the acidic flavour from the tomatoes to cook-out. You'll notice some of the liquid will start to reduce, and that a good sign that's what we're looking for. Add 1 teaspoon of sea salt and give a quick mix.
  • Potato time! Add the cut potatoes and stir thoroughly to combine. Add 1 cup of water to the pot. The water should to barely cover the potatoes, and the top of the chicken thighs are showing.
  • Now, no more stirring! Lay the green beans on top of the chicken potato-sauce mixture and DO NOT STIR. Cook on medium-high minutes to bring to a rolling simmer.⏤ You'll start to hear the sauce bubbling.
  • Let's Braise! Your pot is bubbling faster by the minute now turn the heat down as low as it'll go (you're looking for a very light simmer) cover and cook until the beans are tender about 40 minutes. ⏤ If there's too much liquid cook uncovered at the very end to reduce the liquid, if it's too dry, add a little water about ¼ cup to a max of ½ cup.
  • Mix in the Garlic. I prefer to add the garlic last. Remove the chicken, stir in the smashed garlic and stir it. You may also want to adjust the salt, add in the last ½ teaspoon of salt. Add chicken back to the pan. Let the food rest for 5 minutes; well, you're preparing the table. The garlic will cook in the residual heat and give the dish a nice hint of garlicky taste.
  • You're done! Your house should be full of good smells and very hungry tummies. Don't forget your bread it the best part!

Notes

Each home has its own special Baharat spice blend: You can substitute with 7 spice or make your own blend.
Keyword green beans stew, lebanese recipes, lubia