Loobyeh (Braised Green Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic)

Frequently asked questions

Can you buy fresh green beans all year?

Fresh green beans can be purchased year round, but they're at their peak from May to October. Look for smooth, bright green, firm-textured beans that snap readily when bent; they should be flexible but not limp or tough. Once purchased, store them in the fridge, where they will last roughly a week.

Do you cut the ends of green beans before cooking?

Only the very tip of the stem end needs to be trimmed off green beans. This should be done just before cooking so the beans don't dry out. You can either snap the stems off, snip them using kitchen shears, or line the beans up in batches on a cutting board and cut off several stems at once. Trimming the tail ends is unnecessary; doing so is only for aesthetic purposes.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Rita Nakouzi's stewed green beans and tomatoes recipe is a combination of her mother's and aunt's loobyeh; only as an adult was she finally able to add as much garlic as she wanted. After years of making what by her own admission was "a garlic attack," she says, "Now I've gotten better. It finally dawned on me, I don't think everyone else likes garlic as much as I do." Her recipe calls for 12 cloves of garlic, half of which are kept whole while the other half are minced. Feel free to tailor the amount to your own preference.

Make ahead

The stewed green beans with tomatoes can be refrigerated overnight.