Lebanese Feast of Feasty Goodness - Broad Beans in Rich Tomato Sauce

I've never eaten broad beans before - or if I have, I haven't known that they were broad beans (if you know what I bean)...I'd bought some frozen, and decided to use them in this recipe as a) that's relatively authentic and b)I wanted to use them in something!!

I'm also not overfond of bog standard beans - string beans - though I'm training myself into enjoying them. I have, however, always loved the garlicky bean tomatoey goodness that I got at lebanese restaurants, and have never been able to replicate successfully at home.

However, with some advice and help from ThePenguin (the advice? Pour in a whole lot of olive oil in the middle of the cooking process. It does actually do the job, I have to say....), I made this dish and was well chuffed with it!

Broad Beans in Rich Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups broad beans or string beans that have been topped and tailed
2 x 400g cans of tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
a whole lot of minced garlic (I used about 4 cloves)
olive oil
seasoning salt
pepper

Method

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and saute until the garlic is fragrant - do not let it burn. Add the beans and toss to cover with the garlic. Add the tomato paste and cook it a little, coating the beans as well. Pour in both the cans of tomatoes, and stir to mix thoroughly. Season to taste, and pour in at least another 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Turn the heat to medium low, and allow to simmer until the sauce is thick and rich, and the liquid has cooked off.

You can serve this wonderful dish hot, cold or at room temperature. If you serve it cold, you may need to adjust the seasoning.