Beans, Lentils & Peas! - Fasolia/ΦΑΣΟΛΙΑ

It's all about legumes this month as we happily send off August and look forward to warmer weather...well that's the dream!

Today we are going to talk about one of the 3 Greek F's - Fasolia, or beans. These are some of the beans that we had in our pantry and we would love to share recipes that we have collected for our cookbook. This cookbook will be sold to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis Research. Check out more info at the end of our blog on how to get your hands on the recipes!

FASOLIA / ΦΑΣΟΛΙΑ

Fasolia are dried beans and one of the most famous Greek dishes is the National Dish of Greece, FASOLADA!

It doesn't matter which region of Greece you're from, there's bound to be a memory of mum's or yiayia's Fasolada and dunking fresh bread into that deliciously satisfying thick tomato soup which we always sprinkle generously with feta!

We use haricot (Navy) beans when we make Fasolada as they hold their shape well and are wonderfully creamy. Haricot beans are a great source of fibre, protein, iron, B vitamins and some research shows that they assist in reducing high cholesterol.

Who can resist dunking into this bowl of Fasolada??

BORLOTTI BEANS

Not all recipes using beans must be vegetarian! Borlotti beans are a very hearty addition to a comforting Winter's stew.

Borlotti Beans are a variety of kidney bean, this is a large plump bean that is pinkish-brown in colour with reddish-brown streaks. Borlotti beans have a sweetish flavour with a smooth creamy texture. They are a great source of fibre, protein, folate, thiamine, iron, copper, potassium & magnesium

If you have a spare 2 hours, which we know that you do 😉 then try our Braised Beef & Borlotti Bean Stew.

Who can resist dunking bread into this...wait this sounds familiar! But seriously, bread & dunking is needed stat!!

LIMA BEANS / ΓΙΓΑΝΤΕΣ

Lima Beans make the perfect bean for our (mine actually) favourite of favourite dishes - GIGANTES!

Gigantes, refers to the Greek word for "Giant" Our recipe makes enough to feed a giant family, or enjoy as part of a meze over a few days!

Before I was confident enough to make my own Gigantes, I would buy the tins of Gigantes from Greece (PS I still do!), and grab a spoon and some bread and eat them straight out of the tin. No sharing thank you! There's something about that oily, dilly, creamy yumminess that is very moorish and delicious.

I can't replicate the exact flavour of the tinned Gigantes, but there's no limit to how many times I can practice until I make them perfect! 😉

You can download our recipe for Gigantes Plaki

You know what I'm about to say, right?! But tell me, who can resist mopping this deliciousness up with bread??

BLACK EYED BEANS / ΜΑΒΡΟΜΑΤΙΚΑ ΦΑΣΟΛΙΑ

First time cooking, or tasting, this bean, or more commonly known as the black eyed pea!! We really fell in love with the flavour.

Black eyed beans are packed with fibre & protein and contain potassium and iron. They are a pale cream colour and have a distinctive black spot resembling an eye.

If you love Spanakorizo (Spinach Rice) then we think you will love our recipe for Black Eyed Beans with Spinach.

Come on now, the bread is already there. Need I say more??

KOUKIA / ΚΟΥΚΙΑ

Koukia are Broad Beans, sometimes known as Fava. Don't get this bean confused with the Greek recipe called Fava! That recipe, though originally made with broad beans, is actually made with Split Yellow Lentils. More about Lentils in our next blog!

I'm not going to go into much detail about Broad Beans. They will be included in our blog about our favourite Spring recipes...one of them being Artichokes and Broad Beans / Αγγιναρἐς με Κουκιἀ. We can't wait, especially because we have been growing artichokes in our vegetable garden!! (fingers crossed that we get some this year)

Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing some of our favourite recipes and a couple of new recipes that we discovered while researching recipes from Greece.

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Let's Eat! - A Collection of Family Recipes is creating a cookbook which will be released in 2022.

In the meantime we will be posting dishes to raise awareness, practice recipes and of course to tempt your appetite 😉

Would you like one of our recipes?

It's easy!

Head over to our RECIPE GALLERY We are always updating recipes. Our recipes have generations of testing, so you know that they're delicious!!

Thank you so much.

Let's Eat! Fundraising Team

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NEXT BLOG - Beans, Lentils & Peas! - Fakes (Lentils)

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