I can hardly wait to tell you about this recipe, or to eat it again. It is delicious, and dangerously garlicky, so I think I will be in trouble at work tomorrow. I made it with tinned beans, but the original recipe starts from scratch. I got the recipe from the remarkable book, Nightingales and Roses. These are recipes from all over Iran, organised by seasonal availability of ingredients. Where she wins over my other current favourite book, Jerusalem, is her serving suggestions.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 can of cannellini or borlotti beans
- 50g butter
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small bulb of garlic, with the cloves peeled and finely chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 tsp of dill seed, or 5 tsp dried dill weed, or 30g fresh dill, chopped
- salt, to taste
- 4 eggs
METHOD:
- Melt the butter in a medium lidded frying pan, add the oil and then the chopped garlic, and fry until the garlic is turning golden.
- Add the turmeric, pepper, dill, and salt, and then add the can of beans including the water they are in.
- Bring to a simmer, and cook, until the mixture is getting drier and thicker.
- Make 4 wells in the bean mixture, and into each well, break an egg. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat until the eggs are cooked to your liking.
The book suggests serving this with a little rice, with side dishes of olives, chopped radishes, smoked fish. We were not so dainty, and served this with a side salad with herbs and some bread, olives and labneh.