RECIPES AND MORE FROM AN URBAN KITCHEN

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Haricots Verts


The last time I was in Paris, I consumed bowls and bowls of haricots verts, the skinny little green beans that the French do so well. In real life (a.k.a. America), I hate green beans. They're too bulky, have little flavor, and feel weird in my mouth when I'm chewing them. In France, however, they're thinner, more delicate, and have a decidedly sweeter taste. Plus, they're always prepared simply--just boiled in hot water for a few minutes, then dressed with good olive oil and sea salt. Delicious. When I saw a basket full of haricots verts at Eataly over the weekend, I immediately scooped up a few handfuls to eat at home. Makes for a good afternoon snack or a simple, healthy side for dinner.

P.S. I sprinkled mine with some tiny edible flowers for some color, but that's obviously not necessary. xo

Haricots Verts
Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
Haricots verts, ends trimmed

Directions:
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in an 8-inch saute pan over low heat. After a minute, add the garlic and cook it slowly for 8 to 10 minutes, until it has gone a pale gold and is sweetly aromatic, maybe starting to brown a bit around the edges. Pull pan from the heat.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. When the pot is boiling furiously, drop in the beans and cook them for 3 to 4 minutes, just until they're past that raw, crunchy stage. You can test doneness by simply grabbing one out of the pot and biting into it.

Transfer the beans to a platter or large bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss them with the oil and garlic. Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.

4 comments:

  1. Hi!

    I love your blog, especially the recipes. I've noticed you trying out different kinds of posts lately, so I thought I'd make a request. I'd be really interested to know how you plan your meals, and what goes ino an average grocery list for you. I live in the downtown part of my city, in an apartment with a tiny kitchen, so reading about the simple ways you cook really inspires me. But I find meal planning and making grocery lists really challenging, so I would be very interested to read your thoughts on it.

    I've been loving the posts about usefull ingredients too. And every thing else. keep it up and keep expirimenting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Amanda,

    Thanks for reading! I love your suggestions, keep your eyes open for a post!

    xx

    ReplyDelete