Main dish

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and sauté gently until soft and golden.
Add the lamb pieces and cook until well browned on all sides.
Add the garlic and stir gently for a minute until fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and cook for two minutes, stirring to coat the meat and onion and develop the flavour. Now add the peeled and finely chopped fresh tomatoes.
Stir everything together and cook gently for about five to seven minutes, until the tomatoes have softened and their juices are beginning to blend with the paste and aromatics.
Add the chopped coriander and stir for 2 minutes.
Pour in the water. Add the bay leaf, salt, black pepper, and baharat Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
Lower the heat and simmer gently, covered, for about 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The meat should be tender and the broth rich and full-flavoured.
Meanwhile, drain the butter beans from the jar and rinse gently under cold water.
About twenty minutes before the end of cooking, add the drained butter beans to the pot. Stir gently and allow them to simmer in the broth, absorbing the flavours. The sauce should thicken slightly but remain loose enough to coat the rice beautifully.
Taste and adjust the seasoning before serving.
Serve hot with Lebanese rice with vermicelli, fresh radish, pickles and lemon wedges. A generous squeeze of lemon over the fasoulia brings everything to life, this is the way we eat it in our house.

Notes

Try to get the fresh green butter beans in August-September when in season, available in middle eastern shop in London like Green valley and Goodies