Christmas Lima Bean Stew

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound / 450g dried Christmas Lima beans
• OR equivalent cooked beans ~ 2.5 pounds / 1.2 kg*
• 16 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large heads of celery, preferably with leaves, trimmed then sliced into 2 cm / 3/4-inch chunks
• 3 bunches of scallions, green parts included
• OR if spring onions are in season, I use about 12 of those, either way slice into 1/3-inch / 1cm rounds
• 8 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
• scant 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, lightly crushed
• fine grain sea salt
• 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes, drained, rinsed, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 - 4 teaspoons celery salt **
• 5 1/2 cups water or broth -or combination)
• oily black olives, seeded and roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into 1/8ths