It’s that time of year now when people are swimming in produce. Summer squashes, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers and especially green beans are virtually flooding into kitchens from backyard gardens and markets. It sounds like a good time to detail one of my favorite green bean recipes.
The most prevalent way to eat green beans, it seems to me, is for them to be lightly cooked so that they are still hard and crunchy. Yuck! I’ve eaten my share that way, but I much rather prefer them cooked nice and slow with some sauce and other accompaniments. This author for the NY Times separates green bean eaters into two camps, those who like the crunch and those who prefer the softer side of green beans. I have to say I agree with her. If you haven’t tried the softer side of green beans I hope you will with this recipe. This is my go to green bean recipe. I’m not a chef by trade, so when I cook most things are eyeballed and improvised. Keep that in mind when you see this recipe.
1 lb of green beans, trimmed and cleaned. Can be broken into pieces or left whole.
2-3 smallish tomatoes, quartered
1/2 medium onion, diced (could increase to a whole onion if you like onions)
1-2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup sauce (this could be chicken stock, veggie stock, wine, tomato sauce, maybe even beer?)
Herbs (I usually use basil and parsley but others can be added)
Salt and pepper to taste.
Fire up your skillet or other low slung pot (must have a lid) and drizzle some oil in the pot. (I put my stovetop on it’s middle setting, which might be medium) Gently sauté the onion for 3-5 minutes, until it starts to get a nice golden brown around the edges. Add garlic and sauté for a minute or so. Then add beans, tomatoes, sauce and salt and pepper. Turn heat down to low-medium and let the pot gently simmer with the lid on for about 40 minutes. Keep checking the liquid in the pot about every 10 minutes and also stir up the beans to make sure they are all getting some time on the bottom.
About 10 minutes before you want to serve the dish add your herbs. If there seems to be too much liquid leave the lid off to cook some of it off.
Then enjoy. I like to pair this with some kind of roasted (or grilled) meat and boiled potatoes coated with butter, salt and parsley and either watermelon or cantaloupe.
You can vary this recipe quite a bit. It would be good with some diced prosciutto or bacon. Their smokiness would add some great smoky flavor to the dish and if you cooked them before the onion you could use their fat to sauté the onion and garlic.
What’s your favorite green bean dish? Care to share it in the comments for others to try?
I hope you enjoy this dish.
