I have been thinking about how I buy vegetables. I prioritise local and homegrown, but at this time of year, I buy a lot from the local shops, trying to stick to Scottish produce wherever I can.
I also like to buy the reduced vegetables, to avoid the shops having to throw these away, reducing food waste. So, here comes the first of a series of recipes inspired by ingredients rescued from the reduced section.
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 packs of fresh green beans
- 1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- 1 can of chopped tomatoes
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- salt and pepper
METHOD:
- Trim the beans and chop into 2 cm lengths
- Heat the oil in a saucepan, and when it is hot, fry the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the thinly sliced onion, and lower the heat a bit, cooking the onion until it is wilting. Do not let the onion start to turn brown. This should take around three minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, salt and pepper, and a cup of boiling water.
- Bring the mixture to the boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
- At the end, take off the lid and boil off any liquid, so that a thick tomato sauce coats the beans. Check the seasoning.
I served this with couscous, but rice would also be a really good option.