Fasolakia (Greek Green Beans And Potatoes)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil ((or a bit more for an even more authentic result))
• 1 medium onion (chopped )
• 3 medium potatoes (sliced into roughly 8 pieces (or one large potato, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces))
• 14 ounces green beans ((4 to 5 cups) with the tough ends cut off)
• 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced or crushed)
• 14 ounces canned tomatoes (or 1 can (chopped or crushed) )
• 1 teaspoon sugar (or honey)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 bunch fresh parsley (chopped)
• 1/4 cup fresh dill (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 5 ounces feta cheese ((good quality Greek or Greek style))
• fresh crusty bread

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the onion and potato for 5 minutes.: Pour the olive oil into a large heavy based pan with a lid (a cast iron dutch oven works well). Heat it on a medium high heat until hot, then add the onion and potatoes. Cook for around 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is softened and the potato has started to cook.

2. 2

   Add the green beans and garlic.: Add the green beans and garlic to the pan, and stir for around another minute. Add the oregano, cinnamon and paprika at this point as well, if using.

3. 3

   Add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the parsley, and a cup of water.: Add the tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper and around 1 cup of water. Stir and push the green beans and potatoes down a bit. The liquid should be covering the bean mixture about half way.

4. 4

   Put the lid on and simmer for around 45 minutes.: Put the lid on the pot. Bring the mixture to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for around 45 minutes. About 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, you can take the lid off the pot and let the sauce reduce and thicken a bit more. On the other hand, if the mixture seems dry, just add a drizzle more water.

5. 5

   Stir in the parsley, then serve the beans with feta and bread.: Finally, stir in the fresh parsley (you can also add fresh dill at this point, if you like). Serve with big chunks of feta cheese and fresh crusty bread, or serve as a side dish with a generous amount of feta cheese crumbled over the top.