This is a wonderfully aromatic dish that uses an abundance of spices, resulting in a curry-like delicacy. It can be served warm with a mix of basmati and wild rice or at room temperature as a side dish. Lovage looks like flat-leaf parsley but tastes like intense celery. Use it sparingly and you’ll find it adds tons of character to salads, lentil dishes and creamy sauces. If you can’t get hold of it, substitute with cilantro or tarragon.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- pinch of ground cloves
- salt and black pepper
- one 14-oz can chopped tomatoes (with their juices)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1½ cups sugar snap peas, halved at an angle
- 1 cup large string beans, sliced at an angle
- 1¾ cups shelled fava beans (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbsp chopped lovage
How to Make It
- Heat up the oil in a large pan and add the onion. Sauté on medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently; add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Now add the tomato paste, spices and some salt and pepper and keep on cooking and stirring for another minute.
- Next, add the tomatoes, sugar and all the peas and beans. Stir to mix. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sugar snaps are cooked through but are still crunchy. Taste and add salt and pepper as you like. Stir in the lovage just before serving warm or cooled.
