Loubia

This is a delicious, white bean Maghrabian stew. There are many versions, here is our take on this classic.
Ingredients
- 4 medium onions
- ½ cup olive oil
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ gr saffron OR 2 c. tsp turmeric, ground
- 2 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp dry ginger
- 3 cloves
- 3 tomatoes
- 6 garlic cloves
- 4 cups cooked white beans
- Salt, to taste
- 1 cup fresh coriander, chopped
- 3 Tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 lemon
- 12-15 black olives
Method
-
1
Chop onions finely, then sauté lightly with bay leaves in oil, in a large pan, on medium heat.
-
2
Meanwhile, infuse the saffron in ¼ cup boiling water.
-
3
Grind the cumin, ginger and cloves.
-
4
Purée the tomatoes and garlic in a blender.
-
5
Pour the ground spices and infused saffron into the pan, once the onions become translucid. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes.
-
6
Incorporate the tomato purée. Mix well and cook slowly for 5 minutes.
-
7
Add the beans and some of their cooking water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add more liquid if needed to obtain a creamy sauce. Salt to taste.
-
8
Incorporate the pepper. Cut the lemon into wedges and remove the seeds.
-
9
Squeeze the lemons into the pan and insert the compressed wedges. Simmer for another 2 minutes only, to avoid extracting any bitterness from the lemon skins.
-
10
Incorporate chopped coriander. Taste and correct the seasoning if necessary. Serve garnished with black olives.