Green Beans: The Topic

[snowangel]

If there are any kids in the crowd, get them to put beans with a little olive oil or butter in foil packets and toss them on the grill. Kids love doing the foil packets.

[kellytree]

boil the beans until they are soft (not smush but not half cooked either)

cool for a few minutes

add thinly sliced red onion and cubes of tomato

drizzle some oil , salt and vinegar

- stick it in the fridge and in an hour or so it's a cold bean salad.

[BROWNSUGA]

out of all the meat and carbs(rice, bread, potatos, mac salad, etc) i should include some greens. the local farmers market had a whole bag of green beans for cheap.

so anyways, i was planning on throwing in the beans in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, take them out, then tossing them in a skillet with some butter and kosher salt for a minute or 2...

will this come out right? something simple? or any other things i can do to it to flavorize them?

thanks.

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Normally, this is how I would do my beans, as well. However, I noticed that you are cooking bbq. If this is the case, I always do mine Southern style. This entails snapping or cutting your beans into one inch (or so) pieces. Then cook the beans in a pot of water with a smoked ham hock or other piece of smoked meat. The beans are cooked until very tender. These are no hericots verts! In fact, after cooking them in pork stock, they hardly qualify as a vegetable, but they are awfully good and a great side dish to a traditional bbq.

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This is like the way my mom cooks them! And boy do I love them. She doesnt cut hers, though. She just snaps the ends. I leave this style to her. Now, when I am cooking at home, I prefer to stir-fry mine. I snap the ends, too.

[lcdm]

boil the beans until they are soft (not smush but not half cooked either)

cool for a few minutes

add thinly sliced  red onion and cubes of tomato

drizzle some oil , salt and vinegar

- stick it in the fridge and in an hour or so it's a cold bean salad.

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My girlfriend makes a green bean salad like this. She blanches the green beans, cools and tosses with sliced red onion, oil and vinegar. The tomato sounds like a great addition. This salad is nice because it keeps well for a BBQ.

[ludja]

boil the beans until they are soft (not smush but not half cooked either)

cool for a few minutes

add thinly sliced  red onion and cubes of tomato

drizzle some oil , salt and vinegar

- stick it in the fridge and in an hour or so it's a cold bean salad.

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My girlfriend makes a green bean salad like this. She blanches the green beans, cools and tosses with sliced red onion, oil and vinegar. The tomato sounds like a great addition. This salad is nice because it keeps well for a BBQ.

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This is one of my favorite summer side dishes/salads--green bean and tomato salad. It's cold, slippery and tart; a great foil with bbq or grilled meats.

Add some black pepper too and if needed, balance with a pinch of sugar. (It is not added to give anything near a sweet taste). I add the onions finely chopped, rather than sliced.

Other nice variation: replace some of the oil with Austrian pumpkinseed oil. This adds a wonderful deep note to the vinagrette. Or sub sweet (Vidalai, Maui, Walla Walla) onions for white or red ones.

Edited July 1, 2005 by ludja (log)

[sabg]

you can saute in olive oil, take some butter saute pecan pieces add some worchtershire on pour over the beans...de-lish

[suzilightning]

How about something completely different (or at least it might be for you, this is common BBQ fare in the Delta where I grew up)?

German Green Beans (and I managed to enter it with no help, Susan.

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johnnybird likes his like this but also mixed in with his german potato salad.

[torakris]

I love green bean salads but for some reason my beans start to turn brown after sitting in the dressing for even a short time. What am I doing wrong?

I have a bag a beans from a neighbors garden, also waiting to be eaten...

[snowangel]

How about something completely different (or at least it might be for you, this is common BBQ fare in the Delta where I grew up)?

German Green Beans (and I managed to enter it with no help, Susan.

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Anything with Bacon gets immediate attentioon in MY household!

Congrats on entering the recipe!

[ludja]

I love green bean salads but for some reason my beans start to turn brown after sitting in the dressing for even a short time. What am I doing wrong?

I have a bag a beans from a neighbors garden, also waiting to be eaten...

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I do shock the green beans in cold water after cooking, but even then the color fades a bit in the oil and vinegar dressing so that they look more the color of canned green beans. I'm not sure if that's what you're describing. I've never had a salad like this stay bright green as if the vegetable were just steamed...

Edited July 1, 2005 by ludja (log)

[torakris]

I love green bean salads but for some reason my beans start to turn brown after sitting in the dressing for even a short time. What am I doing wrong?

I have a bag a beans from a neighbors garden, also waiting to be eaten...

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I do shock the green beans in cold water after cooking, but even then the color fades a bit in the oil and vinegar dressing so that they look more the color of canned green beans. I'm not sure if that's what you're describing. I've never had a salad like this stay bright green as if the vegetable were just steamed...

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Yes this is what I am describing, they lose all of their green and turn a very dull color despite the ice water bath.

I guess there is no way to prevent this then?

[ludja]

I love green bean salads but for some reason my beans start to turn brown after sitting in the dressing for even a short time. What am I doing wrong?

I have a bag a beans from a neighbors garden, also waiting to be eaten...

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I do shock the green beans in cold water after cooking, but even then the color fades a bit in the oil and vinegar dressing so that they look more the color of canned green beans. I'm not sure if that's what you're describing. I've never had a salad like this stay bright green as if the vegetable were just steamed...

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Yes this is what I am describing, they lose all of their green and turn a very dull color despite the ice water bath.

I guess there is no way to prevent this then?

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I'm all ears if someone else knows... I need to check next time how quickly the color does change!

[chezcherie]

I love green bean salads but for some reason my beans start to turn brown after sitting in the dressing for even a short time. What am I doing wrong?

I have a bag a beans from a neighbors garden, also waiting to be eaten...

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I do shock the green beans in cold water after cooking, but even then the color fades a bit in the oil and vinegar dressing so that they look more the color of canned green beans. I'm not sure if that's what you're describing. I've never had a salad like this stay bright green as if the vegetable were just steamed...

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if i recall correctly, it's the acid. so, to prevent the khakis, you have to dress at the last minute....sometimes i like the "marinated" effect, so then i just let 'em turn color. that way, some people won't like them!

[sparrowgrass]

Oooh, Della--I tried your grilling method last night. I only had a handful of green beans, and 2 handfuls of okra, so I tossed them together in some olive oil and salt, and laid them in a tin foil pan. I put them on the grill the same time I started the chicken--figured if they got done sooner than the chicken I would have a "two course" dinner, but ended up leaving them on the fire till the chicken was done.

So good--I may never do green beans any other way. The okra was soft, but the green beans were kind of chewy, with crispy edges--almost like french fries. I thiink even the "allergic to almost anything green" kids would like them.

[hitmanoo]

I'm a big fan of a green bean casserole. French fried onions, mushroom soup, etc. I made one with mixed hot and sweet sausage that wad delicious!

[middydd]

My two favourite recipes for green beans are the Mennonite Schnippled Beans, http://lloyd2.home.mindspring.com/m21.htm or steamed then tossed with some chopped basil, caramelized onions and a dash of balsamic vinegar.

[tammylc]

My favorite green bean preparation is to stir fry them. I use canola or vegetable oil with a dash of sesame oil for flavor, then cook them at very high heat until they start to brown. Add some chopped garlic and maybe some ginger or red pepper flakes, and cook that just for 30 seconds or so, then add some soy sauce and cook for a minute or so longer. I always win raves. To add some visual interest and taste, you can add sliced red pepper.

I've recently started doing this on the grill as well. I use a grill basket (I lose a few beans, but not too many). Instead of adding the items one by one like above, I just mix up all of the ingredients and marinade the beans in it while I'm getting the grill hot. Then cook them in the grill basket in a couple of batches until charred. You can toss them with some leftover marinade for extra flavor. While I love the stir fry version, grilling them definitely adds a nice smoky undertone.

[annachan]

out of all the meat and carbs(rice, bread, potatos, mac salad, etc) i should include some greens. the local farmers market had a whole bag of green beans for cheap.

so anyways, i was planning on throwing in the beans in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, take them out, then tossing them in a skillet with some butter and kosher salt for a minute or 2...

will this come out right? something simple? or any other things i can do to it to flavorize them?

thanks.

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That should come out fine, but I would add garlic and maybe some shallots as well.

I also like to prepare green beans with onion and garlic with crushed tomatoes, like a stew.

[LindaK]

No one so far has mentioned salt. Stirfries are another story but for the blanching/cold water shock method, make sure the water is well salted. It doesn't help the discoloration problem w/ a vinaigrette but it makes a huge difference in flavor. If need be, I wrap them in a kitchen towel and stick them in the fridge until ready to use, they will keep perfectly for several hours. Saute in melted, unsalted butter until hot, toss w/ some salt and pepper...the best. Unless, of course, you toss them with some lemon vinaigrette, lots of fresh basil, and dump them over plate of sliced tomatoes still warm from the garden. Then that's the best.

[mudbug]

My favorite green bean preparation is to stir fry them.

Try it with preserved chili bean curd from an Asian grocer. You won't regret it. Many an American have tried it and asked for the recipe!

[Marlene]

Sauteed with lemon juice and butter, tossed with toasted almonds.

[maui420]

hi everyone, thanks for the replies.

suprisingly the green beans went fast at the party. all i did was boil quick, transfer to skillet, sautee in butter, dash the kosher salt and bam... all done.

next time ill try the methods listed in this thread.

[Chris Amirault]

It's green (or string) bean season around here, and we're swimming in them. Went looking through the archives and found this topic.

I also like to prepare green beans with onion and garlic with crushed tomatoes, like a stew.

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I did something like this last night using a tweak of something from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: sautéed onions then garlic in olive oil, added a bit of anchovy paste, then a can of crushed tomatoes, S&P, and oregano. Stewed the whole thing until done and served it over brown rice with some sausages. Lots of leftovers, too, for work lunch.

What're you doing with your green beans?

[jsmeeker]

I've got two "go to" methods for green beans.

One is a southern style preperation. With this style, frozen green beans work well.. I really like the cut ones, as I think it makes eating them a little easier. First, I cut up some bacon, then cook it to make it brown and crispy. Bacon is removed to a paper towel line plate or some other surface. Keep some of the bacon fat in there. Now, sliced red onions go in to be sauted. Beans go in. Chicken stock goes in to cover. Salt well. Add some pepper. Simmer until very tender. At the end of cooking, a splash of cider vinegar goes in along with some brown sugar. Season with more salt if needed. Serve with bacon sprkinled on top. Or you can mix most of it into the beans just before they are done cooking and sprinkle a smaller amount on top.

My other method for for preparing green beans (always fresh ones for this method) is to blanch and shock them. (heavily salted water, of course and blanched almost to the desired doneness level). At this point, you can certainly wrap them up in a paper towel and store them in the fridge in a zip top bag. To finish, I heat a sute pan. toss in some butter. Saute some shallots (I don't brown them. just soften them up). Add the blanched beans. A good splash of white vermouth. Salt. Pepper. Get the heat up and cook until most of the vermouth is evaproated. When it's almost all gone, toss in a knob of butter. toss 'em around to get it all combined. Serve.

[snowangel]

It's green (or string) bean season around here, and we're swimming in them. Went looking through the archives and found this topic.

I also like to prepare green beans with onion and garlic with crushed tomatoes, like a stew.

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I did something like this last night using a tweak of something from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone: sautéed onions then garlic in olive oil, added a bit of anchovy paste, then a can of crushed tomatoes, S&P, and oregano. Stewed the whole thing until done and served it over brown rice with some sausages. Lots of leftovers, too, for work lunch.

What're you doing with your green beans?

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What? No bacon?????

It's bean season here, too, and when we grill, I take a mess of blanched ones, stick them in a foil packet with whatever (olive oil, butter, garlic, shallots; whatever is handy) and oh my, do the leftovers go well with greens and tuna the next day (think stay-at-home mom's nicoise -- if we're out of olives, it's capers, and oh my, if there's a leftover hard-cooked egg, oh me oh my).

Another favorite preparation is from Madhur Jaffrey's "An Invitation to Indian Cooking" -- the "Green Beans with Mustard." Like southern-style green beans, they are cooked longer than you think you'd like, but you'll wish you had doubled the recipe for something for lunch the next day. And, a good excuse to use that extra cilantro that is growing a bit "long in the tooth" and that blog of plain yogurt in the container in the fridg (so you don't feel guilty about pitching said container a few weeks from now when you aren't sure whether it was a leftover of whatever."