Ahhh, Greece. I thank you for your Spanakopita, your Moussaka and your Souvlaki. But frankly, it’s your humble Fasolakia that’s got me head over beans! (You like that? Haha!)

I first tried this green bean dish at Sofi in Los Angeles, a restaurant that’s popular for their delicious Greek fare (and their really pretty outdoor patio, but I digess). The Fasolakia was a side to my Kreatopita (a puff-pastry triangle filled with spiced ground beef and pine nuts, topped with cheese). It was quiet and unassuming, eclipsed by the crispy, meaty, cheesy main dish on my plate. But by the end of the night, I had eaten all of it, and only half of the other dish!

And I wanted more. So, the next few days were spent trolling the Internet and asking Greek friends about it. I found out that it’s a staple at the Greek table, and that it’s a stew of fresh tomatoes, green beans and parsley, cooked until the beans are soft. Their slightly sweet flavor with the natural tartness of tomatoes and the fragrance of parsley makes for one yummy dish that’s great in the summer when the freshest green beans and tomatoes are abundant.

It’s also quite uncomplicated to make, too!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, rough-minced

3-6 whole peppercorns

1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, pulsed in a food processor (you can also chop these if you don’t have one)

1 1/2 pounds of green beans with ends cut off, rinsed

1 bunch parsley, rinsed

WHAT TO DO

1) Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Saute the onion until soft, then the garlic until fragrant, then finally drop in half of the parsley and black peppercorns. Keep cooking until the parsley is wilted.

2) Pour in your chopped tomatoes and stir. Cover and allow to simmer for a good 10-15 minutes, until the juices have sufficiently cooked together into one happy, yummy mix. The mixture will develop more liquid as it cooks, and will thicken later in the cooking. Adjust to taste with salt. It should have a good balance of tang from the tomatoes’ acidity, a herby note from the parsley and also a hint of natural sweetness from the tomatoes. (I’m getting hungry just writing this!)

3)  Set your trimmed green beans on top of the tomato stew. The liquid should come up to about halfway the amount of beans. If not, add a little stock or water. Top the beans with the rest of your parsley. You will cook the dish in these layers, trying not to disturb them by  stirring. (I’m not exactly sure why, but I followed this step in keeping with tradition.)

Cover and allow to cook on low to moderate heat for 45 minutes to an hour, or even a little longer, until the beans are good and soft but still retain their shape. Make sure to check the stew every 20 minutes or so in case you’ve cranked up the heat enough to burn the bottom of the pot.

You’ll end up with this savory hodgepodge of tomato and beans, all made from scratch from the freshest stuff. Pretty awesome, if you ask me.

4) Serve your Fasolakia hot with steamed rice, or at room temperature with pita bread. As an extra treat, you can sprinkle to top with a bit of feta cheese.

Opa! Go be Greek this weekend!

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**Eat Your Vegetables is a new project on The Girl With A Curl. As a promise to eat healthier, I plan to discover new, yummy, non-gag-inducing vegetable recipes every week. They’ll be a big part of my packed lunches at work and will be an interesting way to see how many different ways vegetables can be prepared. As a meat eater, vegetables are something I haven’t paid attention to in my years in the kitchen, but that’s something I’d like to change. From Artichoke to Zucchini and everything in between, here’s to healthy eating at its most delicious!