We are not a vegetarian household (my husband would eat
me within weeks if I imposed that!) but we do only eat meat a couple of times a week. On top of this, I personally do try to steer clear of red meat all together, so it's important to me to have an arsenal of flavoursome veggie suppers to keep things interesting around here!
I found this particular recipe in the
Leon Book 2 which was recommended to me by a friend & I've since adapated it over time, tweaking to how it works best for us...
Leon Book 2 is such a goooood recipe book to own & if you don't already have it & your meal planner/rotation is currently boring the crap out of you, then go get this NOW because you
need it in your kitchen! The recipes are pretty much all gorgeous and i use it a lot. It's not just great for new recipes, but also for ideas & inspiration - it's the gift that keeps on giving! Luck!
The best recipe for me though is 'Mima's Greek-ish Butter Beans'. Flavour wise - it punches you in the mouth! Is that OK? Well it
is if it's done in a good 'foodie type way' i'll have you know - (you need to think Gordon Ramsey doing his annoying hand slapping thing whilst he's bouncing around
not looking at the camera. Think of every annoying hand-slap as a flavour & you're THERE!).
Also, it's v. healthy, v. filling & v. comforting, and who say's no to that combi? I normally serve this with a crusty baguette (do I say that about every meal? Ha! Probably!) or even a crisp green salad on the side, but in all honesty, you don't really need anything else with this dish, as it totally holds it's own! Hurrah x
So here's what you'll need for 2 grown ups (we sometimes have leftovers):
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion - finely chopped
4 cloves garlic - finely chopped
2 level teaspoons of fennel seeds
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
2 teaspoons of tomato puree
2 - 3 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
2 x 400g of butter beans* - drained & rinsed
100g of feta cheese
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
and, here's what you'll need to do:
1. Heat your oil in a large deep pan. When hot, add your red onion & fry gently for a couple of minutes.
2. Add your garlic, fennel seeds & dried oregano. Cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture is really soft.
3. Add your tomato puree & tinned tomatoes. Combine well & leave to simmer gently for 20 minutes.
4. Add your butter beans, season & continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Crumble 1/4 of your feta (25g) very finely into the stew. Mix well & then continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
6. YOU'RE ALMOST DONE!
7. Serve your lovely stew into your bowls, and crumble the remaining feta over the dishes. Serve with whatever takes your fancy bread wise (baguette anyone?) - and ENJOY!
8. Mmm, that tastes good, right?
