FOOD MEMORIES - CYPRUS

These are two dishes that take me back to my childhood. Visiting family in Cyprus and my mums cooking. We always traveled to Cyprus and Greece a lot when I was young and the vegetable and bean dishes were always what I always loved the most. These dishes work well as part of a mezze, including salads, rice, breads, potatoes & olive, pickles & dips. Or you could simply serve with rice or bread to mop.

Pictured I made a simple tomato, parsley & onion salad with a tahini dressing, burnt aubergine lemon, garlic dip & grilled flatbreads.

Black eye beans & spinach

Serves 4 as main course, 6-8 as part of a mezze.

300g dried black bean or 2 400g tins drained

150ml olive oil

1 onion, finely diced

3 clove garlic, minced

350g spinach, washed and roughly chopped

350ml water

30-50ml lemon *

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 tbsp. chopped dill

** salt & pepper to taste

* I love this dish really lemony so added 50ml but maybe you’ll want a little less zing. You can taste it at 30ml (about one lemon) and add more if you like.

If using dried beans soak overnight in plenty of water, dried beans will double in size while soaking. When you’re ready to start cooking, drain and rinse the beans, transfer to a medium saucepan, cover with plenty of water and cook for about 40 minutes until the beans are tender.

Heat a medium-large saucepan on low heat, 100ml of the olive oil, the your onions and a good pinch of salt cooking for about 5 minutes until translucent but not brown.  Add the garlic, cook for another couple of minutes, then add the beans and spinach, cover with water. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes with the lid on then remove the lid, add the rest of the olive oil and cook for about another 40 minutes until the water is absorbed and the beans have become thick and creamy. Add the lemon juice and herbs. Taste for seasoning, adding pepper and more salt if needed.

** A side note on seasoning, I find pulses really benefit from generous seasoning and plenty of good fats to bring out the best in them. Taking them from a humble bean to something special.

Greens beans cooked in tomatoes

Serves 4 as main course, 6-8 as part of a mezze

75ml olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 clove garlic, minced

200g green beans, trimmed and washed

400g can good quality chopped tomatoes/ passata

2 fresh tomato, chopped

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. picked fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

25ml / juice half lemon

2 tbsp. chopped dill or parsley if you prefer

salt to taste 

Heat a large pan on medium low heat, add the oil along with your onions and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes until translucent but not brown.  Add the tomatoes, beans, cinnamon and oregano, if using dried, cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes.  If the sauce gets dry add a splash of water. Cook until the beans are really tender and the sauce has cooked down to be rich and thick. Add the fresh herbs and lemon juice, taste for seasoning and salt as needed.

Serve with rice or potatoes and a nice fresh salad or as part of a larger spread.