Lubieh Be Lahmeh (Green Bean Stew)

This is by no means your traditional crunchy green bean recipe. This stew will be slow cooked to help marry all the flavors together giving you a heartwarming stew at the end of a very hard day. This is one of my comfort foods. Traditionally, it is made with flat beans, but since those are not always available, regular green beans are just fantastic.

Ingredients

– 2 pounds green beans

– 1 pound stew beef cut into 1 inch cubes

– 1 large onion diced into small pieces

– 1 ½ cups diced tomatoes

– 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic

– 1 teaspoon ground coriander

– ¼ teaspoon black pepper

– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

– 1 tablespoon salt or to taste

– 4 cups of boiling water

– 3 tablespoons of olive oil

Utensils

– Chopping board

– Sharp knife

– Medium Heavy bottom stockpot (preferably non-stick)

– Wooden Spoon

– Measuring cups

– Measuring spoons

Directions

1. Before you begin, you’ll want to prepare your green beans. Rinse the beans under cold water. Remove the ends on both sides of the beans. Snap them into thirds, or about 2 and a half inch each. If the beans are fat, you’ll want to slice them down in the middle length wise (like French beans). Set them aside until you’re ready to use them.
2. Into a medium stockpot add in the olive oil. Place the pot onto medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the cubed beef to the pot. Brown for 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Once the beef has been browned, add the chopped onions, and cook until they’re translucent. About 3 to 5 minutes. Stirring frequently
4. Add the minced garlic, and the ground coriander and cook for 3 minutes, or until the garlic is aromatic.
5. Add the green beans into the pot containing the beef, onions, and garlic. Cook on medium high for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the diced tomatoes. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and let it cook for 25 minutes.
7. Add the 4 cups of boiling water or enough to cover the green beans with about ¼ to a ½ inch of water. Add in the cinnamon, salt, and black pepper into the pot. Turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 25 to 40 minutes or until the beef and the green beans are tender.
8. Serve over Mediterranean rice, or you could have it as a “soup” with a piece of gluten free bread on the side.

Note: If you are using a cut of meat that is not meant for stew. Cut it length wise following the grain of the meat. The “grain” is the lines that you see in a big chunk of meat. They resemble wood grain. If you cut along those lines about 1 inch long pieces, and then chop it into cubes opposite the grain, you will end up with a tender cut of meat regardless of the type of meat that you have purchased. I do this all the time, and it saves on money. I try to create a video for you to give you a visual perspective of what I am talking about.

Tips:

You could use this recipe as a crock pot recipe. You’ll still want to stir fry most of the ingredients except the tomatoes before you add them into the crock-pot. This will give you the same flavors as if it were cooked over the stove top, and it will actually enhance them because of the slow cooking method. After you’ve added everything into the crock pot, you can cook it on low for 6 to 8 hours. I actually prefer this method because it really does enhance the flavor. I just have to remember to start early in the morning before it’s too late.