...Vegan Greek Baked Beans With Agave and Dill Recipe - NYT Cooking...

..this is a Greek Orthodox Lenten dish...traditionally eaten on Clean Monday (Greek: Καθαρά Δευτέρα), also known as Pure Monday, ...is the first day of Great Lent in the Eastern Orthodox Christian, Saint Thomas Christians of India and Eastern Catholic churches. It is a movable feast that occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Orthodox Easter Sunday....from Wikipedia...

...Great Lent is not until March 14th for the Orthodox Church...but we start Lent this Wednesday with Ash Wednesday...and we have Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday) the day before...so I guess yesterday was our Clean Monday...

...so I started by soaking some large lima beans...

...and I got some of the tomatoes that we put up back during the summer...and some frozen tomato paste...

...and just sorta chopped them up...

...cooked some onion in some olive oil...

...added the beans...

...some oil...

...the tomatoes...

...and a bay leaf...

...some agave nectar...

...olive oil...

...and enough water to cover the beans...

...put it ito the oven and baked it for an hour...

...then added the tomato paste...

...vinegar...

...kosher salt...

...and pepper...

...and then baked it again for half an hour before adding the dill...did you know you are supposed to add dill at the very end...because it quickly loses its flavor and fragrance during cooking, so use it raw or add it to a dish at the very end of preparation...

...just served with some crusty bread...

...and I have to admit that although this dish is not much to look at...it certainly is delicious...in an unexpected fresh sort of way...the sweet and sour aspect and the tangy dill make for an unusual surprise...

...we loved it...

Featured in: Vegetarian Dishes From A Greek Holiday.

...and the actual recipe is here...

Ingredients (I think my only substitution was the Agave for the Honey)

1/2 pound dried large lima beans or white beans, soaked if necessary for six hours or overnight in 2 quarts of water and drained (limas require no soaking)
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, preferably a sweet red onion, finely chopped
1 14-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 sm bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoons agave
1 tablespoons tomato paste
1/8 cup red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
Salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup, loosely packed, chopped fresh dill

Preparation

Combine the drained beans and water to cover by 3 inches in a large, oven-proof casserole or Dutch oven, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium size, heavy skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender and lightly caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat.

After 30 minutes, drain the beans and return them to the pot. Add the remaining olive oil, the tomatoes and the liquid in the can, bay leaf, agave, and 1 cup water or enough to just cover the beans. Stir in the onion, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cover and place in the oven. Bake one hour, stirring often and adding water if necessary. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 30 more minutes, until the beans are tender and the mixture is thick.

Stir in the dill, cover and let sit 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with thick slices of country bread.

Tip

Advance preparation: This can be made through step 3 a day or two ahead of time. Add water if the mixture is too thick to bring to a simmer on top of the stove. Bring to a simmer, and proceed with the recipe. Leftovers will be good for three or four days. Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.

~Have a lovely day!