White Beans With Meat (Etli Kuru Fasulye)

Posting for ZWT6 North Africa/Middle East region. From www.turkishfoodandrecipes.com As mentioned on the recipe "White Beans with Meat is a very traditional and common dish in Turkey, especially when it is served with pilaf and pickles."

• Ready In: 3 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2  cups white beans
• 1⁄2 lb beef or 1⁄2 lb lamb, chopped
• 2  onions, chopped
• 2  tablespoons  oil
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste
• 1  dried red peppers or 1  green pepper, chopped
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  chili red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1  tablespoon salt, to taste
• 1  cup hot water

Directions

1. Wash white beans, place them in a pot and cover with water (approximately 1 inch above the beans). Leave them in water overnight or for at least 12 hours. The next day, cook them with the same water till beans get soft over low heat. You could add baking soda to have softer beans quicker. When they are soft, add ½ tbsp of salt.
2. In another pot, sauté chopped meat with oil till they are brown. Then add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Stir in peppers and tomato paste. Add one cup of hot water and the remaining salt, and then simmer till the meat is soft. Transfer the cooked white beans into the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
3. Serve with or over rice.
4. Note: You can also use 2 cans of white beans and skip the instructions given in the first paragraph, but it may not be as delicious as the one with dried beans.