Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
2 each onions, chopped
4 each garlic cloves
2 lb runner beans, trimmed & - sliced
1 lb tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
2 cup stock
Directions
Heat oil in a pot & fry the onion for 2 minutes. add garlic & fry
together. Add the rest of the ingredients & the seasonings. Mix
together well. Fry for 5 minutes. Add stock. Simer till the beans
are tender. Serve hot or cold.
Jack Santa Maria, "Greek Vegetarian Cookery"
Servings: 4 servings
Bean Stew Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Soup; Stew
The History of Recipes
It is possible to read the history of `recipes` far back into history, in truth as far as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe even further. In practice though, sadly, these early cook books were just simple pictorial recipes for preparing food.
In fact, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to academics is a collection of clay tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Later, we find two interesting cookery books published in the 1300s - a cookery book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, these are unconnected to the curry that is familiar to us all today, but instead accounts of the types of meals served to the nobility of the time. Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought back many new foods and spices from Arab countries, including spices such as coriander, basil and rosemary. These new culinary innovations prompted an eruption in manuscripts on cooking, most of which are now in private cookery archives. For the decades that followed, the powerful and wealthy tried to lay on the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence, chefs and their recipes were much in demand. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe books rose to prominence. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated the best years of their lives to collecting, trying out, and recording the recipes of their peers. By the time we get to the 1900s, cook books were increasing in popularity as a result of more people being able to read, leisure time and having more disposable income. The introduction of television brought us cooking programs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which brings us neatly to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access thousands of recipes like those on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Bean Stew recipe.
