Fasolakia lathera

Green beans braised with tomato saltsa and olive oli.

True story - I was fortunate to work at a lovely bakery in East London, where we received the most beautiful produce from local growers. At the time, organic produce was still a novelty in London, so I felt privileged to get my hands on such precious ingredients. It was the summer of 2012, and green beans were just coming into season. I decided to prepare a Greek classic: Fasolakia lathera. I made them just as my grandmother used to—slowly braised in tomato sauce with chopped herbs and, of course, a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil. However, the boss, who was also the head baker, wasn’t particularly fond of them. While I was doing my lunch service, he approached me with his plate, pointing out the excess olive oil. I was both embarrassed and upset, but I stood my ground, took a deep breath, and explained that "lathera" means cooked in a generous amount of olive oil. He responded, "You could have just steamed them and served them with butter and salt!"