Fasulia: Green Bean and Beef Stew

The word fasulia, sometimes spelled fasolia, is the Lebanese term for red beans. However, in other countries of the Middle East such as Egypt and Turkey, it can refer to green beans as well. Fasulia stew, therefore, is traditionally a hearty, slow cooked dish of beans in a seasoned tomato sauce.

The stew can be made vegetarian by omitting the beef or lamb altogether and simply serving it over a bed of rice or warm flatbread such as pita or naan. Its warm spices and earthy tomato sauce make it a comforting dish even without the protein and, of course, you can always add in some chickpeas. When meat is included, however, it is a hearty entree that is well suited for meals on cold, winter days.

Spices such as ground cumin, coriander and allspice provide not only a depth of flavor but also a wonderful aroma without adding any heat, which is more common of Middle Eastern foods. And they work equally well with both the green beans and tomatoes as well as beef or lamb so no change in recipe is needed to make this vegetarian.

When adding meat, either beef or lamb work equally well so it's only a matter of which you personally prefer. Cubed beef stew meat is quite easy to find all supermarkets and butcher shops. Although cubed lamb might be a little less commonly found, it still should be available at all butcher shops and many large supermarket chains. Ask at the meat counter and chances are they will be able to cut up some lamb into stew cubes for you. The slow stove top simmer in the sauce will reduce most of the natural gaminess of lamb but, if you're a fan, you'll still find plenty of flavor.