Savory bean stew with tomato and cinnamon
This warm, satisfying meal is called Fassoulyeh b’Chuderah in Hebrew, and it’s somewhere between a soup and a stew.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold water or veggie broth
- 1 pound dried white beans I like Great Northerns but navy beans or cannelini work fine,
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 6 oz can tomato paste
- 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cooked rice
- Flat parsley leaves
Instructions
- Put the dry beans in a 4 quart saucepan and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Drain the water and set the beans aside.
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and stir until they start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and stir for another minute – don’t let it burn.
- Add the tomato paste and keep stirring for another 2 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, water, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.
- Return it to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer over a low flame until the beans are soft and the liquid has thickened considerably – about one and a half to two hours.
- Serve in bowls over rice, garnished with parsley.