Iahnie de fasole, Romanian fasting-day bean stew

Name: Iahnie de fasole, Romanian fasting-day bean stew
Ingredients: 4 tablespoons oil; 3 medium onions (450 g); 1 medium carrot (75 g); 1250 ml water; 4 small cans red beans (240 g drained each); 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 10 g dill; 10 g parsley; 10 g lovage

Season - Iahnie de fasole, Romanian fasting-day bean stew by Eusebia B. - Recipia

Iahnie de fasole, a Romanian bean stew, is served hot for lunch, especially on fasting days, with herbs and bread. The onion, carrot and tomato paste make a soft sauce, while the red beans stay whole if they simmer gently. I look for cans of red beans, not mixed beans. Preparation: 15 minutes. Cooking: 27 minutes. Total time: 42 minutes. Servings: 6. Approximately 320 kcal and 16 g protein per serving.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons oil
3 medium onions (450 g)
1 medium carrot (75 g)
1250 ml water
4 small cans red beans (240 g drained each)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
10 g dill
10 g parsley
10 g lovage

Preparation

1. Peel the onions and carrot. Chop the onion and grate the carrot. 2. Heat the oil in a pot and sauté the onion and carrot for 5 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns glossy. 3. Pour 500 ml water over the vegetables and simmer for 10 minutes, until softened. 4. Drain the beans. Add them to the pot along with the tomato paste and 750 ml water. Simmer for 12 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. 5. Chop the dill, parsley and lovage, and sprinkle the herbs over the stew when serving.

Notes

Choose cans with whole beans; if the beans are already very soft, shorten the final simmer to 8 minutes. Don’t rush the 5 minutes for the onion: let it turn glossy without browning. Tomato paste can be salty, so taste the sauce before adjusting the seasoning. In texture, the dish is close to a vegetable stew, except the beans take the place of potatoes. It’s suitable for fasting days and contains no dairy. Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days; if the sauce thickens when cold, stir in a little water as you reheat it. Serve with fresh bread, ready to mop up the sauce.