BEANS OVER RICE PILAF

Especially in the winter time nothing could be better than beans served over rice. Usually we eat it with onion salad and mixed pickles. I'll give the recipe of mixed pickles later. Sometimes we cook beans with beef or soudjouk (which looks like pepperoni but it is not) or Turkish pastrami. Most of the times just with simple tomato sauce and green peppers. I always cook beans in pressure cooker. I love pressure cooker and I am not afraid of it. If you know how to use it, it'll become your precious helper. You can cook any meal in less than 30 mins. In the case of beans, I soak them in water first. I put the beans in a pot and fill the pot with water. I boil the water and turn the heat off. I make them soak in the water for about 3 hours or so. Once in a while you might want to stir the beans so every one of them gets enough water. And from this point it only takes 15 mins to cook the beans.

What do you need?

• 1 lbs of great northern beans (you can use any kind)
• 1/2 lbs of beef for stew (optional)
  
• 1 onion
• 1 cubanelle pepper or 1/2 green pepper or just omit pepper
• 3 tbsp oil
• 1-2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 3 cups of crushed tomatoes

How do you make it?

• Dice the onion, peppers and cook them in the oil and add meat and cook for 5 mins.
  
• Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
• Add crushed tomatoes and the beans with the water they soaked in.
• Season with salt and pepper.

• Make sure that beans have enough water to cover them 2 inches above.
• Lock the lid of the pressure cooker and wait the pressure indicator pop up and a whistling noise comes.
• Turn the heat to med and cook them for 15 mins.
• Do not open the pressure cooker immediately.
• Put the cooker under running cold water until you hear the pressure releases.
• According to the type of ypur cooker you should have a switch for steam release.
  
• Now you can open the lid. Sometimes because of the type of the beans cooking time may vary. If you need them cook more just close the lid and cook them for another 5 mins.
• Serve over a nice home-made rice pilaf (I'll give the recipe later.)
  

This recipe yields like 6-8 servings.