Persian Beef and Green Bean Rice(Loobia Polo)

Serves 8-10
Fries as topper preparation (optional)
1 potato
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

Cut potatoes into french fries size pieces or smaller. Add the olive oil to a pan and bring to medium/high heat. Pour in cut potatoes. Let cook for 1-2 minutes mixing frequently. Add the salt, pepper and paprika. Bring heat to medium and cook until browned. Remove from heat and set on a paper towel to dry.

Green Beans Preparation
1 pound French Green Beans (I use Fresh Crispy, Tender and Snipped)
¼ teaspoon salt

Wash green beans. Bring a pot of water to boil and add salt. Add the green beans and turn heat to medium. Let cook 8-10 minutes until green beans are tender but not soft since they will continue to cook further later. Drain in a colander and set aside.

Beef Preparation
2-3 small onions, chopped
1 pound ground beef or ground chuck (the leaner the meat the more oil you will generally add)
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup olive oil
2 lemons, freshly squeezed
8 ounces tomato paste
8 ounce can tomato sauce
¾ cup water

Add ground beef to pan and break apart using a wooden spoon. Pieces should become tiny while cooking. Cook until meat is browned then add the onions. Continue to cook until golden. Add olive oil (this is necessary with dry meat or leaner meat but could be reduced with a less lean meat. It’s done to prevent drying of the meat and add a bit of flavor). Add turmeric, salt, and pepper. Add tomato paste then add water. Use the water and the heat of the stove to sort of soften the tomato paste while cooking. Should blend into to water and meat mixture. Let cook an additional few minutes then add the lemon juice. Again make sure to mix and incorporate into the meat mixture. Add the green beans from previous section and mix in without breaking the beans. Then add tomato sauce. Mixture should not be watery at all. Should be very dense. Let simmer for additional 4-5 mins mixing frequently. Let cook slowly on very low heat until ready for assembly (or remove from heat in preparation).

Rice Preparation and Assembly
5 cups Basmati Rice (you can also use brown rice as an alternative)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (divided into 4 rounds for use ¼ teaspoon each layer)
2½ teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons olive oil (1 for bottom for bottom of pot and 4 at the end)
⅛ teaspoon saffron

Wash rice in cold water until all starch is removed. Fill the same pot containing the rice with warm water until it’s about 1 inch above the rice. Cover the rice. Place on heat and let boil. Add salt. Let cook about 8-10 mins until rice is al dente but not soft. Reserve about 4 tablespoons of the liquid from the rice then strain in a colander. Using the same pot you boiled the rice in you can begin assembly. Add the 4 tablespoons of reserved water back into the bottom of the pan and add the olive oil. Separately add the saffron to a bowl and dilute with 1½ tablespoons boiling water. Using the pot begin the layering by first adding a layer of rice, then a layer of the beef sauce mixture, then a drizzle of the diluted saffron and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Do this layering process until all ingredients are used. Using the opposite side of a wooden spoon poke a few holes into the rice mixture. Drizzle the remaining olive oil onto the top of the rice. Cover the top of the pot with a paper towel and place a towel around the lid then place the lid firmly on top. The lid should be secured. Simmer on low/medium for about 30-35 mins. Remove from heat and serve with fried potatoes on top.