Lobio: spiced kidney beans, walnuts and coriander

I was talking to food writer Olia Hercules about fasting and Lenten foods in Ukraine and she showed me pamphlets published by Orthodox priests about foods to be eaten during fasting times. I have never seen anything like this in Greek churches, but I loved them – everyone needs a little encouragement and inspiration on a diet, regardless of what it is for. The pamphlets featured lots of Georgian and Central Asian recipes (as Olia pointed out, an echo of the Soviet Union), which makes sense: many Georgian dishes are rich in nuts, so ideal for sustaining people for long periods of time. Lobio came up time and again. Variations of this dish (lobio translates to ‘beans’) can be found throughout Georgia – not all have walnuts, and the herbs and spices will vary, but I wanted to feature one that seemed popular with the priests. You can of course make this with tinned beans, which is still fine and makes it a much speedier recipe. However, as with all these recipes, it really is more delicious if you cook the beans yourself. By adding the cooking liquor back into the dish, it makes it richer, creamier and more flavourful. Never throw that liquid away, it is your secret ingredient.

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Soak the dried kidney beans overnight in plenty of cold water. When you are ready to cook them, drain, and place in a large saucepan with the bay leaves and cover with plenty of fresh cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 1–1½ hours, until the beans are very tender.

Step 2

Meanwhile, peel the onions. Finely chop two and a half of them, and finely slice the remaining onion half. Finely chop or grind the walnuts. Trim the coriander stalks and finely chop the stalks and leaves. Peel the garlic. Place the garlic in a mortar with the dill seeds (if using), cayenne pepper and ground coriander and quarter of a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Grind until you have a creamy texture, then add two-thirds of the chopped coriander and pound that in too. Halve the pomegranate and carefully pick the seeds, and keep to one side.

Step 3

Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan and sauté the chopped onions for 15 minutes over a medium-low heat, until cooked through and slightly golden. When the beans are ready, drain in a colander (reserving a large mugful of the cooking liquid) and return them to the warm pan. If you are using jarred or tinned beans, start with this step. Season generously, then use a wooden spoon, or even a potato masher to crush them so they break down. Spoon them into the pot with the onions and add the chopped walnuts, the garlicky spice paste, one tablespoon of the pomegranate molasses and half the reserved cooking water. Mix and crush everything together well until creamy, and return the pan to the heat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining cooking liquid if needed, so that the beans aren’t too dry, and taste to adjust the seasoning as necessary. Spoon the seasoned beans into a serving bowl. Finish by drizzling over the remaining pomegranate molasses and a good amount of extra virgin olive oil, then garnish with the reserved coriander, pomegranate seeds and onion slices.