Georgia About

The Georgian word ‘lobio’ (Georgian: ლობიო) means ‘beans’ and there are a number of varieties of lobio dishes. In this family recipe we show how to make a lobio dish made with green onions and lobio spices.

Ingredients: 700 grams of lobio (kidney beans), 200 grams of green onions, 100 grams of butter, 4 cloves of garlic, 4 bay leaves, 3 tbs of oil, 1 heaped tbs of coarse hot pepper, 1 heaped tbs of tomato puree, salt (amount dependent upon personal preference) and lobio spices (see below for ingredients).

Ingredients for lobio spices:  1 whole small bulb of garlic, 1 tbs of dried coriander, half tsp of crushed dill seeds, half tsp of dried Pennyroyal (also called squaw mint, mosquito plant and pudding grass), 1 heaped tsp of dried Summer Savory, 1 heaped tsp of ground coarse red pepper and salt (amount dependent upon personal preference).

Preparation (Lobio spices): Remove skins from the garlic and crush the cloves. Put the garlic to one side and add all of the other ingredients to a mixing bowl. Thoroughly mix. Add the crushed garlic and mix thoroughly by hand. You may want to wear gloves. This Lobio recipe only requires 1 heaped tbs of the lobio spices. The remainder can be stored in an airtight jar in a cool place. Lobio spices can be used in a variety of meat dishes and sauces.

Preparation (lobio beans): Soak the beans in a deep cooking pot of cold water for two hours prior to cooking. Drain water and add the bay leaves and up to 2 liters of fresh water. Cook on a medium heat until the beans are tender.

Chop the onions and add to a pan with 3 tbs of oil and 100 grams of butter. Fry on a low to medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the boiled lobio beans. Mix thoroughly and bring to the boil. Allow to cook for a further 5 minutes.

Remove skins from the garlic and crush the cloves. Add to the pan together with 1 heaped tbs of lobio spices, 1 heaped tbs of coarse hot pepper, 1 heaped tbs of tomato puree, and salt (amount dependent upon personal preference).

Mix thoroughly. Continue to cook on a low to medium heat for 5 minutes.

Serving: Serve hot.

Enjoy your Lobio with Green Onion and Lobio Spices!

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