The green bean and potato loaf is a fragrant vegetarian dish, an original recipe from grandma in the Genoese tradition, perfect as an appetizer or a scenic mold to make children eat vegetables. Try the savoury pie with green beans and other vegetables to win your kids’ hearts.
SEASON and harvest period
#greenbeans: from April to October
#potatoes: available all year round
RECIPES with green beans
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: Serves for a 9 x 3.5 inch rectangular mold
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Liguria
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Fall
- Energy 133.35 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 15.14 (g) of which sugars 2.49 (g)
- Proteins 5.82 (g)
- Fat 5.98 (g) of which saturated 2.76 (g)of which unsaturated 1.98 (g)
- Fibers 2.42 (g)
- Sodium 278.68 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Green Bean and Potato Loaf
- 12 oz green beans (string beans or flat beans)
- 3 potatoes (medium)
- 2 eggs (medium – 110 g)
- 3.5 oz cheese (grated without animal rennet)
- to taste marjoram (and/or thyme, oregano, dried basil)
- to taste fine salt
- to taste breadcrumbs
- to taste sesame seeds (white, red, or black)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste butter (or peanut oil)
- to taste breadcrumbs (or cornflour or organic wholemeal)
Tools
- Pot pressure cooker or traditional steel pan
- Potato Peeler or sharp knife
- Potato Masher or fork
- Baking Tins plumcake mold
Green Bean Loaf
First, peel the potatoes and place them in cold water to remove some of their starch. In the meantime, trim and wash the string beans. Then cut the potatoes into 0.4 inch cubes.
Boil everything in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes from the classic whistle (or 7 minutes plus another 3 minutes without opening the pot). Traditional pot cooking in salted hot water takes about 30 minutes, check by piercing with a fork.
Grate the aged cheese.
Mash the hot potatoes with a fork. Add the cheese, salt, dried herbs, 2 eggs and mix everything. Then incorporate the whole green beans.
Alternatively, the cooked green beans can be partially or completely chopped and added as a puree to the mixture.
Pour everything into the plumcake mold previously greased and floured (or alternatively use wet and squeezed parchment paper).
Level and score with the prongs of a fork. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, sesame seeds (or poppy, sunflower seeds…) and finally a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Bake the Ligurian loaf in a static oven at 356°F for about half an hour or until golden, on a high rack.
What to add to the green bean loaf?
For a tastier flavor, add 0.7 oz of dried mushrooms, previously soaked in warm water and then sautéed in a onion stir-fry, as the recipe from Mugugno Genovese suggests.
You can add other vegetables cooked in a pan: fresh mushrooms, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplants, tomatoes…
For a light version, you can replace the cheese with ricotta.
You can serve it in slices over tomato sauce.
variation for OMNIVORES
Incorporate 3.5 oz of diced ham, speck, mortadella… or even canned tuna for a fresher taste.
STORAGE
Store the green bean loaf for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
