Fasolia: Green beans and tomatoes

I've just returned from Armenia, so it only stands to reason that I start to post some Armenian recipes, as it's a country I have woefully neglected so far in this little blog. Unless you're familiar with it, the first question would probably be: So what is Armenian food like? Well, Armenian food shares many similarities with its neighbours (Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Turkey) utilising fresh ingredients, nuts, fruits and herbs extensively, though traditionally not too much in the way of spices. Also, as a result of the Armenian diaspora it has also picked up influences from the lands the Armenians lived in such as Russia, Iran, Syria, Egypt, Greece, Romania and Lebanon. So... vaguely Middle Eastern with the occasional Slavic or Mediterranean touch. Mmm...

My first offering is fasolia, a green bean and tomato dish, a simple recipe with a few ingredients. It contains green beans, onions, oil and tomatoes (fresh or tinned), the onions are fried, the beans and tomatoes added, and the whole lot cooked down into a delicious stew. Simple eh? Well, that's the basic recipe, however there are numerous variations with regards to the additional flavourings or spices. My uncle used to make up batches of fasolia and bring them over, he would add cumin, chopped celery and some green olives to the mixture (Greek influence), a woman I was speaking to on the plane home (and swopping recipes with) just added black pepper. I've gone for olives, plus a good helping of fresh coriander.  

Ingredients
200g green beans
400g can chopped tomatoes 
1 onion (finely chopped)
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
1 handful coriander (chopped)
1 handful green olives (chopped)

1. Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until softened
2. Chop the beans into 5cm pieces (roughly) and add to the onions. Stir and cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes 
3. Add the tomatoes (and olives and coriander if using) and simmer until the beans are tender - 30 minutes or so
4. Serve either warm, room temperature or cold as prefered.