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Green up your plate with green beans
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I love green beans, pure and simple. When selected fresh from the farmers' market or straight from your garden, they're crisp,.jpg)
versatile, and delicious. My backyard is full of green beans (the bush variety) and almost every day I have to go out and pick a big handful. I remember my mother calling them string beans because they had a string along the back seam that had to be removed before cooking. Now beans have been bred so you no longer have to remove a string.
They're also called snap beans and California is second only to Florida in production. They're available most of the year. And "green" beans are not always green. There are yellow wax beans and purple beans that turn green when you cook them:
Blue Lake snap beans are the classically shaped, rounded green beans familiar to most.
Romano beans (a.k.a. Italian String Beans) are flat, wide snap beans with a wonderful, meaty texture.
Baby French green beans (Haricot Verts) are tender bright green colored beans that are smaller than the common green beans at between two to three inches long and not much thicker than a matchstick or shoelace. Quite meaty with a soft velvety skin, they still retain the string that has been bred out of most of the other green bean varieties.
Kentucky Wonder (KY) beans fall somewhere in between the shape of the rounded Blue Lake and the flat Romano.
Yellow wax beans look like green, snap beans except for their pale yellow almost translucent color.
Purple beans are dark purple beans similar to small yellow wax beans, but have pods that turn green when cooked.
Selection and Storage: Whether rounded snap or flattened pole, green beans should be fresh looking, light to dark green in color. Smaller beans are usually more tender. Make sure they're plump and not mushy. To store them place in a perforated plastic bag and keep in your refrigerator crisper for up to 5 days.
Preparation: Wash thoroughly before cooking. Snap off both ends of the beans and either steam or saute to a crisp tender stage. Overcooking will have your beans looking pale green and soft. You can enjoy them raw as a snack or in salads for a real treat. If you're like me, with an overabundance of beans, more than you can eat in a week, you can easily blanch and freeze them. Check out www.ehow.com for directions.
No, we're not giving you a recipe for soggy green bean casserole made with canned green beans and canned onion topping. There's a better, fresher way to make this traditional casserole. This updated version comes from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine from 2005 and is super delicious!
Updated Green Bean Casserole
1 large sweet onion cut in 1-inch wedges
1/4 cup cooking oil
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
6 ounces baby Portobello, crimini, or button mushrooms, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
6 ounces goat cheese, softened, or cream cheese softened
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
In a large skillet, cook onions, covered, in hot oil over medium-low heat for 13 to 15 minutes. Uncover and add brown sugar. Cook and stir over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until onions are golden and caramelized. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large saucepan cook green beans, covered, in a small amount of boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain. In a 3-quart au gratin or baking dish combine green beans and mushrooms. Combine olive oil, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar. Pour over vegetables, tossing to coat. Roast in oven for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once, until crisp and tender.
Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl beat together cheese and milk with an electric mixer on medium speed. Spoon cheese on top of vegetables in lengthwise mounds along center of baking dish. Top with caramelized onions. Return to oven and heat 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese and onions are heated thoroughly.
For more great recipes visit www.pcfma.com/cookbook and a great list of all the wonderful farmers' markets in the Bay Area. Remember to Buy Fresh, Buy Local!
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