Name: Beans with Walnuts and Spices (Lobio 1 ლობიო)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: Serves 4–6 or more at a supra
Cuisine: Georgia
Ingredients: 30 g / 1 oz / ½ cup chopped fresh coriander / cilantro; ½ tsp dry kondari (summer savory) or delicate thyme; 1 tsp ground marigold petals; 30 g / 1 oz / 2 tbsp butter; ¼ tsp ground chilli/cayenne; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; ½ tsp coriander seed, crushed; 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp sour plum sauce or lemon juice; 2 tbsp finely chopped celery or celeriac leaf; 5 or 6 fresh French marigold leaves; 115 g / 4 oz / 1 cup ground walnuts; ½ tsp ground fenugreek; 350 g / 12 oz / 2 cups dried Borlotti or other fine-skinned beans; 12 g / ⅓ oz / 3 garlic cloves; French marigold leaves, to garnish; 200 g / 7 oz / 1½ cups chopped onion; 1 tbsp marigold petals

Preparation info

Serves
4–6

Difficulty
Complex
Ready in
2 hr 30

Appears in

Tasting Georgia

By Carla Capalbo

Published 2017

About

Nestan Nikoladze’s wonderfully complex bean recipe includes pounded walnuts and the dried petals and fresh leaves of the orange French marigold plant, Tagetes patula. The leaves are more pungent, with a distinct, vegetal note that gives these beans an extra dimension. Nestan works all the flavouring ingredients in her mortar and pestle. That’s the best way, but a food processor also produces a great result.