Tag Archives: green beans

Never Say Never

When I was a child, you could tell the day of the week by what we ate for dinner. My mother who worked full time relied on me to get things started in the kitchen. To this day I can’t look at meatloaf with any enthusiasm, although I will make it for my wife in a way that differs greatly from my mother’s recipe. The things we do for love! The other thing that will illicit a yuck from me is cream of mushroom soup from a can. Any can. I hate the stuff (and I love mushrooms)! All I can picture is it congealing around baked chicken breasts, and tasting, well, bland.

As we approach Thanksgiving, there are memories and traditions that families enjoy. A favorite side dish for many is green bean casserole. I love green beans and was on a mission to create a slightly different version of this beloved dish, minus that awful cream of mushroom soup. Fresh beans were a priority, along with fresh mushrooms. Onions, garlic, a flavorful roux of butter, flour, homemade chicken stock, and half & half, became something both old and new. Don’t forget the crispy french fried onions (my nod to tradition)! Afterall, we can’t completely through the baby out with the bath water!

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 pounds fresh green beans, rinsed, stemmed and cut in half
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chicken stock (homemade really makes a difference here)
  • 1 cup half and half
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 6 ounces french fried onions (I used French’s)

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat a large pot of salted water to boil. Generously season with Kosher salt. Prepare a large bowl with ice water to stall the cooking of the blanched beans.
  2. Blanch beans by adding them to the salted, boiling water a cook for 5 minutes. Drain beans in a colander and place in the ice bath. Once cooled, drain and set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, sauteing them for 4-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and mushrooms, stirring to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes, then slowly whisk in the chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps. Slowly add half and half and continue to whisk. Cook until thickened about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add your blanched green beans and stir to combine, then transfer to a 9×13 casserole dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs and french fried onions. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Serves 6-8

“Tradition is a guide, not a jailer.” —W. Somerset Maugham

It’s Bean A Long Time Coming

This has not been a typical farm year for us.  Challenges with weather, deer, woodchucks and bunnies have made it difficult to grow our delicious haricot verts called Maxibels or as we call them at market, ‘skinny French girls’.  Finally after 3 tries we have succeeded in harvesting our first beans.  I wait all summer for certain vegetables.  Garlic, tomatoes and Maxibels.  I couldn’t wait to make this protein filled, colorful, crowd pleasing salad.  I did a Mediterranean spread today with our dear friends George and Karen.  Lamb meatballs in tomato sauce and feta, roasted beets with preserved lemon and dill, hummus salad, raw zucchini thyme and walnut salad, and this was a wonderful addition.

This salad has an assortment of textures; al dente green beans, toasted almonds, sweet cherry tomatoes, quinoa, chickpeas, onion and feta.  Although it originally calls for red onion, we had my favorite sweet onion Bianca and I substituted that variety (poetic license)  During the summer, after working all day on the farm, it’s nice to have meal salads that are simple to make and refreshing to eat.  Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.  This salad can be doubled to serve a crowd.

 

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HARICOT VERTS, QUINOA AND CHICKPEA SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup quinoa (any color)
  • 1 3/4 cups water
  • 1 pound green beans (I like haricot verts) or a combination of yellow and green
  • 1 cup almond slivers, toasted
  • 1 can canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 small red onion  (or onion of your choice), thinly sliced vertically
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar (I used my homemade tarragon vinegar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 ounces feta, crumbled (optional)
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (any color)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. In a medium saucepan combine quinoa and cold water; bring to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, cover and turn heat to low.  Cook for 20-25 minutes.  When finished pour onto sheet pan and let cool completely.
  2. Toast the almonds on a sheet pan in a 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes.  Remove from sheet pan and let cool.
  3. Wash and trim the beans.  In a large pot bring salted water to a boil and blanch beans for 3-6 minutes depending on the variety that you use.  Maxibels 3 minutes, traditional green beans 6 minutes.  Drain and place in ice bath to cool completely.
  4. To make vinaigrette, place olive oil, vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste in a pint mason jar.  Place lid on snugly and shake vigorously.
  5. To assemble, place cooled quinoa, drained green beans, onions and chickpeas in a large salad bowl.  Mix gently with your hands;  add 1/2 of the dressing and mix again with your hands.  Add almonds and additional dressing if needed.  Place salad on serving platter and top with crumbled feta and cherry tomatoes if using.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4 as a entree, 6-8 as a side

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell.  One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the woods.  –Diane Ackerman

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