AKA one of the nicest ways you’ll ever find to eat runner beans. Warm, comforting and wholesome. Feeds 2.
- 1 heaped tbsp salted butter
- 1 onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 250g runner beans
- 3 ripe tomatoes
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tsbp extra virgin olive oil
- Cut little X shapes through the skin on the bottom of your tomatoes and pop them in a bowl. Boil the kettle and pour boiling water over the tomatoes until they’re covered. Leave for 1 minute then drain the hot water and re-fill the bowl with cold water from the tap. After a minute, the skin should peel off the tomatoes easily, without taking any tomato with it. Then just chop them roughly. Careful, they’ll be slippery!
- Top the runner beans, remove the strings (weirdly satisfying) and cut them into chunky pieces
- Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat
- Add the onions and garlic, cover and cook for 5-7 mins until translucent but not browned
- Add the cut-up beans, cover and cook for 5 mins
- Then add 2 tbsp water, the chopped tomatoes, cinnamon and allspice. Season with salt and pepper
- Cover and cook over low heat for 20 mins until the sauce is thickened and the beans are cooked through (they should be soft but with a gentle bite)
- If there’s any extra liquid, remove the lid and turn up the heat for a minute or so until it has evaporated
- Remove from the heat, add the olive oil and stir to combine. Leave to sit for 5 mins with the lid on before consuming hungrily because it has made your kitchen smell so good
Sophie cooks 