Since many of you, my dear readers, have been asking me lately to make something suitable for fasting, today I'm presenting you with lobio :-) This dish is about as fasting-friendly as it gets, and on top of that it's nutritious, since it's made from legumes. "Lobio" is a traditional Georgian dish — you'll sometimes see it called "lobio with beans," but that's not quite right, since the word "lobio" in Georgian literally means beans. I love it when the beans in this dish are really well-cooked and soft — it gives the dish a thick, rich consistency and a wonderfully enveloping flavor. In addition to the classic ingredients — onion, garlic, and tomatoes — I've also added a bit of bell pepper, and alongside the traditional Georgian spice khmeli-suneli, I've included some thyme, since I love how well it pairs with beans. Cilantro is the best herb choice here, but you can also use parsley or even a little mint. Mushrooms or meat are sometimes added to lobio, but more often than not this dish is kept entirely meat-free.
Ingredients:
- 500 g beans (dry, red preferred)
- 200 g tomatoes + 2 tsp tomato paste
- 150 g bell pepper
- 150 g onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp khmeli-suneli (Georgian spice blend)
- 1 tsp thyme (level, not heaping)
- a bunch of cilantro
- salt
- vegetable oil for frying
How to cook lobio
I recommend using red beans specifically — they cook down nicely and form the hearty base of the dish. White beans will also work, just with a slightly different result. Soak the beans overnight, or for at least 3–4 hours.
Drain and replace the water, bring to a boil. Do not add salt! Simmer on low heat with the lid on for about 1.5–2 hours.
Peel the onion and finely chop it, then place it in a skillet with heated vegetable oil. Sauté until lightly golden.
Add the bell pepper (I used frozen pepper, already diced), and sauté for about 2–3 minutes, stirring.
Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and let them sit for 2–3 minutes, then score and peel the skins, and chop into small pieces. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste to the skillet and stir to combine. If you're using good seasonal tomatoes, you can skip the tomato paste — but with out-of-season "winter" tomatoes, it's really recommended.
Stir everything together, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 15–20 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender.
The beans are ready when they're very soft and well-cooked — give them a taste to check. Drain off almost all the cooking liquid (save a couple of cups). Next, mash a portion of the beans. I used a potato masher to mash about half the beans right in the pot. To do this, just mentally divide the pot in half :-) and thoroughly mash the beans on one side into a purée, then gently stir everything together. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid as needed.
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