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07/02/2001 Archived Entry: "Braised Roman Beans with Fresh Garlic and Tomatoes"

Both the stringbeans and Roman beans were young, thin and tender at the Greenmarket this weekend. Braising them may be a small injustice. It’s usually a method I use when the beans get bigger and more fibrous; when, for instance the Roman beans have developed substantial beans in their wide pods. But I just came back from Greece and Turkey where greenbeans are most frequently braised and stewed, no matter their maturity, and I just had to keep the tastes of my trip alive.

Young, tender beans make a great salad, however. You can find a recipe for greenbean, potato and red onion salad in Naples At Table. And another recipe to make with more mature, even overly mature stringbeans isVegetarian Chopped Liver, which is right here in FoodMaven.com.


Braised Roman Beans with Fresh Garlic and Tomatoes
Iris Carulli called while I was cooking this recipe. You know Iris, my former assistant. She’s living in Rome now. I told her what I was cooking and she said she had just discovered that what we call Roman beans they call coraline in Rome. She doesn’t know why, but she’ll try to find out. Note that I used fresh garlic here, which has a much subtler taste than the “cured” garlic, which is the kind we usually buy. Use less garlic if you are using “cured” garlic.

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced spring onion
2 or 3 large cloves fresh garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound Roman beans (also called runner beans), washed, tips and tails broken off
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
1 16-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with their juice
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes or Aleppo red pepper, or a pinch hot red pepper flakes, or a half-inch length of seeded hot red pepper

In a 9- to 10-inch sauté pan, combine the oil and onion and, over medium to medium-high heat, sauté the onion, tossing frequently, until well-wilted and golden, about 12 minutes.

Add the garlic and sauté another couple of minutes.

Cut the beans in half crosswise and add to the pan. Season with salt. Toss with the onions and sauté together for 5 minutes, tossing frequently.

Add both the sun-dried and canned tomatoes and about 1/4 cup water. (I washed out the tomato can with the water, then used it.) The beans should be barely covered with liquid. Season with the pepper and let simmer uncovered, over medium-low heat, for about 45 minutes, or until the beans are very tender. You will have to add a little water now and then, a few tablespoons at a time, to keep the beans barely covered.

Serve warm, not hot, or at room temperature, with bread for mopping up the juices.