Green Beans: The Topic

[Chris Amirault]

Made a bacony version of this Madison dish two nights ago, and it was great. The NYT is getting in on the long-stewed bean action. This recipe is very similar to the Madison one though it adds wine, which I think hers does not.

[Shel_B]

I just received more than a pound of garden fresh green beans. I don't care much for them, and have never prepared them. However, Toots likes 'em, and since I'll be getting more pounds of these beans as the summer progresses, I want to make at least a few dishes using them. Any ideas for preparing and cooking them would be welcome. Thanks!

[Darienne]

Although they are not long beans, the proper ingredient for Szechwan Dry-Cooked Long Beans, you can use them. DH loves them.

[Ttogull]

Crescent Dragonwagon's recipe is awesome! (I love her name.)

http://www.splendidtable.org/recipes/greek-style-green-beans

[weinoo]

I like to slice them super-thin on the diagonal, salt them, let them sit for an hour or so, and then dress them with olive oil and lemon or a nice vinegar.

Top with shards of parmesan or a not-too-intense pecorino. Ricotta salata, even.

Stolen from Mario Batali at Lupa/Otto.

[ninagluck]

I love this recipe from jamie! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/grilled-butterflied-monkfish-with-a-sweet-runner-bean-stew-recipe/index.html

[SylviaLovegren]

Greek lamb and green bean stew is a good thing http://greekfood.about.com/od/lambkidrecipes/r/lambbeans.htm

and there's always pickled or a la grecque or in a nice nicoise.

[lindag]

I cook mine very briefly in the P-C with some chopped onion, chicken broth and chopped red pepper. Delicious.

[Beebs]

Grilled green beans are so good. Grill till charred in spots and sprinkle with some good salt. Eat with fingers & a cold beer.

[Anna N]

Grilled green beans are so good. Grill till charred in spots and sprinkle with some good salt. Eat with fingers & a cold beer.

Or if grilling is not an option then roast. Delicious.

[Plantes Vertes]

I like them boiled and served with chopped stewed tomatoes, lots of sauteed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

[patrickamory]

I like to slice them super-thin on the diagonal, salt them, let them sit for an hour or so, and then dress them with olive oil and lemon or a nice vinegar.

Top with shards of parmesan or a not-too-intense pecorino. Ricotta salata, even.

Stolen from Mario Batali at Lupa/Otto.

So no cooking? Sliced thin, salted, and eaten raw? This is for the regular green beans with the large beans in the pods?

[lindag]

I like them boiled and served with chopped stewed tomatoes, lots of sauteed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Wow! That sounds delicious, I will definitely try your recipe.

[Plantes Vertes]

I like them boiled and served with chopped stewed tomatoes, lots of sauteed garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Wow! That sounds delicious, I will definitely try your recipe.

It is! This recipe uses dill and cayenne in place of the lemon juice but looks pretty much like what I do otherwise. I gather that it's often served with grilled lamb.

ETA: She cooks the beans a lot longer than I do - you don't have to go for a full hour!

Edited August 1, 2013 by Plantes Vertes (log)

[Ttogull]

ETA: She cooks the beans a lot longer than I do - you don't have to go for a full hour!

That's the recipe in the link in my post above. I make it frequently. The thing is that you want them to cook a long time on very low heat - it completely transforms the dish. No stirring, and layer the oil, garlic, beans, and tomatoes just like she says. I have a sub burner that simmers on very low, and mine take somewhere around an hour.

[Plantes Vertes]

ETA: She cooks the beans a lot longer than I do - you don't have to go for a full hour!

That's the recipe in the link in my post above. I make it frequently. The thing is that you want them to cook a long time on very low heat - it completely transforms the dish. No stirring, and layer the oil, garlic, beans, and tomatoes just like she says. I have a sub burner that simmers on very low, and mine take somewhere around an hour.

Sorry - I didn't spot that. I'll try that way next time; thanks for the advice!

[weinoo]

I like to slice them super-thin on the diagonal, salt them, let them sit for an hour or so, and then dress them with olive oil and lemon or a nice vinegar.

Top with shards of parmesan or a not-too-intense pecorino. Ricotta salata, even.

Stolen from Mario Batali at Lupa/Otto.

So no cooking? Sliced thin, salted, and eaten raw? This is for the regular green beans with the large beans in the pods?

Yes - for string beans, not shelling beans. Can be done with asparagus, brussels sprouts, etc.

[Ann_T]

Love this time of year when local green beans are finally available.

Fassolakia Ladera - Green Bean, Zucchini and Potato Stew

This recipe is good served hot or at room temperature.

~Ann

[HungryC]

Cajun 'em up.....smothered with onions, garlic, a little cayenne, some diced tasso or smoked ham or andouille, and new potatoes. Recipe here: http://bouillie.us/2012/05/15/green-beans-new-potatoes-les-haricots-sont-sales/

The texture is soft and succulent, and the new potatoes are creamy yet firm, soaking up the smoked meat and slightly bitter green bean flavors. Bonus points if you serve it over rice.

[msfurious1]

Green beans, like a lot of other veg/greens, are surely good stewed with tomatoes, onions and garlic (pork fat? yes) and that's a good way to go.

A pound of beans isn't really all that much. Even for 2.

If you're not a fan the bean, go ahead and make a green bean and potato salad and then you can enjoy it too. Just move the beans to the side for Toots to enjoy. Make a garlickly/lemony vinaigrette, Add to hot cooked chunked red potatoes and green beans with some raw red onion and red peppers added and toss. Eat it warm or chilled.

You can also pickle the beans. have as a side side dish - or you can add to cocktails if that seems like something you'd fancy..

[OliverB]

I make bean salad with them quite often. Steam the beans so they're still crisp and have some crunch. slice a red onion or some shallots, in a bowl with vinegar (red wine, sherry, orange flavored, etc) and sugar, some salt and pepper, all to taste. Let those pickle a bit. beans on top, cooled under cold running water, toss. Never lasts long in our house. Easy to create variations, a clove of garlic instead (or with) the onion, cherry tomatoes, herbs you like, etc.

I don't like them cooked (to dull green death) but I'll try the just slice and salt approach mentioned above!

[Jaymes]

I always add an herb to my pot of simmering green beans - either basil or oregano, depending upon what else I'm serving. A favorite is Rancho Gordo Oregano Indio. http://www.ranchogordo.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=RG&Product_Code=4ORI&Category_Code=HASI#.UfvTHaxm4rw

Don't add too much of either the basil or oregano. You don't want to overpower the green bean flavor.

When I make one of our family favorite dinners - German Sour Beef - I always serve green beans cooked with oregano. Don't know why I think that's German except that, when I was a kid, I lived in Germany and our cook made green beans that way.

I'd be willing to bet that if y'all try adding a quick sprinkle of basil or oregano to your pot, you'll make it a habit from here on out.

Best recipe at our house: Cut up some bacon. Coarsely chop an onion. In bean pot, saute onion and bacon. Sprinkle in some oregano or basil. When bacon has rendered fat and onions are limp, add a smashed garlic clove. Put in your snapped beans. Add water to cover. Instead of salt, add Knorr Caldo de Pollo to taste. (http://www.mexgrocer.com/2640.html) Cook until beans are your desired degree of tenderness. Double-check your seasonings and if you need more salt, add more "Caldo" and allow that to be incorporated. Remove from heat. Throw in a handful of cherry tomatoes, toss quickly, drain, turn into serving dish and serve immediately. If you wait too long, the cherry tomatoes will burst. That's not exactly bad, but it is nice to bite into a whole cherry tomato.

Oh, forgot to add... Although I've lived all over the world, my heritage is basically US Southern, and most of us Southern Cooks always add a tiny pinch of sugar to our vegetables. My grandmother, a legendary Southern cook, and restaurant owner, told me that a pinch of sugar mitigates whatever bitterness there might be, and enhances the natural sweetness of the vegetable. You definitely don't want to add too much. You're not trying to make a sweet dish. In fact, my grandmother said, if anybody that eats your vegetables can tell that you added sugar, you added too much.

Edited August 2, 2013 by Jaymes (log)

[nibor]

Oh, forgot to add... Although I've lived all over the world, my heritage is basically US Southern, and most of us Southern Cooks always add a tiny pinch of sugar to our vegetables. My grandmother, a legendary Southern cook, and restaurant owner, told me that a pinch of sugar mitigates whatever bitterness there might be, and enhances the natural sweetness of the vegetable. You definitely don't want to add too much. You're not trying to make a sweet dish. In fact, my grandmother said, if anybody that eats your vegetables can tell that you added sugar, you added too much.

My dad, a legendary cook in our house only, and of Lithuanian extraction, taught me the same thing. For vegetables and especially any tomato-based concoction. My carb-abhorring DH can really tell the difference. He thinks my trick is extra butter.

[Baselerd]

My favorite simple way of cooking them is to grill them in sweet glaze until just charred.

[djyee100]

If you don't like green beans, I wonder if you've mostly eaten the undercooked crunchy kind, which is very popular. I like the crunchiness of undercooked green beans, but I'm far less enthusiastic about the astringent taste. Green beans taste very different depending how long you cook them. These days I pull pieces of green bean out of the pot as I cook, and when the green bean tastes good to me, they're done.

As with any kind of bean, salting them adequately makes them taste good. If I'm boiling green beans, I generously salt the water.

Today I ate out for lunch and my sandwich came with this delicious salad: steamed green beans, steamed wax beans, cherry tomatoes (orange and red), toasted walnuts, and vinaigrette. Simple yet good & very pretty to look at, too.

When I stew green beans I like the recipe in Paula Wolfert's Slow Mediterranean Kitchen cookbook. This recipe is very similar. Instead of herbs, you can sub a pinch of red pepper flakes. Here:
http://newtonfarm.pbworks.com/w/page/14264125/Slow-Cooked%20Beans