Fresh Green Beans

[WhoseHouse]

How do you cook them? I've sauteed and I've boiled and they turn out ok (except when I forget about them and they get mushy)... how do you prepare them? I love fresh green beans and want to try different recipes.

 

[Mrmyke709]

1/2 lb bacon, preferably Pederson's Applewood smoked
2 lbs fresh green beans
1 1/2 C sliced "Baby Bello" portobello mushrooms

Chop the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces, sautee till brown, remove from pan.
Clean out the bacon grease, add 3 tbsp grape oil.
Cut green beans into 2 1/2 inch pieces, sautee for 15-20 minutes. Add portobellos, keep stirring. You can test the beans, I like a little crunch in mine.
Add bacon, white pepper and sea salt to taste.
Finish off with 1/2 cup of GOOD balsamic vinegar.
This goes great with Cajun Meat Loaf and garlic mashed taters.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Try washing and trimming the ends, then spreading them on a cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Place in a 425° oven. With a spatula, turn two to three times for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and sprinkle with minced garlic, 1 teaspoon lemon zest. Some dried dill, and the few shakes of red pepper flakes. Toss again, and to return to oven for about six to 8 minutes, turning once or twice. As soon as you remove from oven, salt and pepper to taste.

You can also watch and trim fresh green beans, salt liberally, and fry and olive oil, just like you would with french fries. Depending on how hot you have your oil, and how much you use (I use olive oil at about 300 to 325°), they should take about six minutes.

I generally steam my fresh green beans with little, too nothing on them except for a small amount of salt and pepper. Once I take them out, I'll add a small pat of butter, and some fresh minced dill. Depending on how fresh your green beans are, and how big, it shouldn't take more than 12 to 18 minutes to steam.

One more idea.

 

[jt09]

Wash them and trim the ends, then put them in a steamer basket in a pot. Steam them until they get to your desired level of "cooked."

I then pick up the basket w/ a fork, dump the water out, put the GBs back into the pot sans steamer and drop in a pat of butter, then toss in some S&P.

Serve whole.

Love em! I eat steamed GBs at least once a week.

 

[THEU]

It's hard for me to think about eating fresh green beans without bacon. I also think that adding a bit of garlic is very good.

 

[hullabelew]

Damn, there are some good ideas here. I think I'm trying Mrmyke's recipe tomorrow night.
Why grape oil? I just started using that and actually like it but why specify grape as opposed to olive oil.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

must have the fat back.

 

[1990txgirl]

I'm also curious about the grapeseed oil. My only guess is that it's known to have a "neutral" taste and a higher smoke point than olive oil.

Here's a recipe I like:

1 lb. haricots verts
2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots
Squeeze lemon juice

Slightly steam the green beans so they are still crunchy (microwave works great). Lightly caramelize the shallots in a mixture of 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 butter. Toss in green beans and sautee until they are lightly browned; the shallots will continue to caramelize. Squeeze of lemon juice to finish; S & P to taste.

 

[THEU]

is there a reason you favour the much higher priced hericot vert to something like a Kentucky Wonder? I have a friend who works produce at Central Market and says he can't understand why people often pay 3 to 4 times for the hericot verts over a standard American product. (If I remember most hericot verts sold here are Central American) He stated the real difference is how you cook 'em. Just curious.

 

[1990txgirl]

I don't really prefer haricots verts but they're $4 for 2 lbs. at Costco, cleaned and ready to cook, and they will stay fresh an inordinate length of time in the fridge.

So, I suppose I will attribute it to laziness.

 

[Fanny McLonghorn]

I've done them before by sautéing them in a little sesame oil (I used some olive oil and some sesame oil since the sesame can be overpowering), add salt and pepper and some bean paste. It was really good.

I'll definitely try MrMyke's recipe. I'm unfamiliar with the grape oil. I don't really cook much with anything but olive oil, sometimes canola or vegetable, so I'm interested in trying other ones.

Also, what would be a "good balsamic vinegar." I don't know much about vinegars, I usually just buy whatever's cheapest, like pompeii or something.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Fanny- Spend $4-$8 your 1st time out on balsamic, taste-test a few, then decide if you like it well enough to pop for 1 of the longer aged, more $$$ offerings.

One way to turn a $5 btl into a faux $10 btl, is to reduce it somewhat.

 

[1990txgirl]

In reply to:

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[DRAG69]

Another quick and tasty way to prepare fresh green beans....

Snap the ends off and wash in cold water.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add green beans and blanch for a few minutes.
Take one out and put it into cold water and then taste of it to test it's doneness.
You want it a little less done than you will serve them.

When you reach that point drain the hot water off and cover beans in ice water. This stops the cooking process cold (so to speak) and turns them a beautiful dark green color.

Drain the cold water off after a few minutes.

When ready to serve throw some butter in a skillet and stir fry the green beans.
I like to add either sliced almonds or sliced water chestnuts.
Of course some salt and fresh ground pepper.

Easy and tasty.

 

[TrickyStickin]

If you like beans crispy with nuts or fungus, move along... nothing to see here. This is how I like them. I don't really measure, so this is my best guess:

2.5-3 lbs beans
1 large onion chopped
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 lb (or more!) thick cut bacon (I prefer Bum Phillips brand)
4-6 cups chicken broth
black pepper to taste
Water

Clean and snap the ends off the beans. Chop onion into good size chunks (I quarter it and then cut the quarters into halves/thirds). Cut the bacon into 1" chunks (if you stick the bacon in the freezer for 30-45 minutes, it'll firm up making this easy). Throw all the above into a big pot except H2O. Then add water sufficient to cover beans by 1/2 inch or so. Bring to a boil, cut temp back to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours or so.

PS I don't salt b/c chicken broth is usually sufficient to take care of that. But you can always add.