Fast, Fresh, and Green by Susie Middleton

Author:Susie Middleton
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Published: 2009-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Provençal Green Beans with Lemon-Pepper Oil and Herbed Sea Salt

My friend Ruth Lively, who’s a terrific gardener and cook, tipped me off to dressing green beans while they’re still warm with nothing but a really flavorful extra-virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of coarse sea salt. The fragrant olive oil mixing with the warmth of the beans creates a flavor that’s just naturally delicious. Notching the flavor up just a bit isn’t a bad idea either, so I often use an infused oil and an herb salt to dress the beans. The Provençal combination I’m including here is a lemon-pepper oil and an herb salt that you can make with either lavender or rosemary.

I have a lot of lavender growing in my yard, and it’s taken me a while to figure out how to use it in the kitchen. I’ve found that just a little bit combined with a good sea salt, like fleur de sel, makes an intriguing condiment, not just for green beans, but also for other vegetables and grilled meats. That said, I certainly understand if it sounds too floral for you—opt for rosemary or just plain sea salt, but don’t be shy about the amount of salt you use. The lemon-pepper oil is really versatile; drizzle any extra on grilled fish or grilled bread. (Make some extra and keep it in the fridge.)

You will have to taste the green beans after a few minutes of cooking to get a sense of how firm they are—that way when you taste again in another minute, you’ll feel the difference. Keep cooking the beans just until you can easily bite through them (you won’t feel resistance). I assure you that they’ll still be green. You don’t want to overcook them, but undercooked beans have a slightly unpleasant, rubbery texture to them. How fast your beans cook will depend in part on how old and how big they are; you can remove thinner ones sooner than the rest.

Serve these beans in high summer with mustardy grilled chicken. Or just eat them with your fingers after dressing them.

2 TSP KOSHER SALT

1 LB/455 G GREEN BEANS, stem ends trimmed

2 TBSP QUICK-INFUSED LEMON-PEPPER OIL (recipe follows) or best-quality extra-virgin olive oil

½ TO 1 TSP PROVENçAL HERB SALT (recipe follows) or coarse sea salt, preferably fleur de sel

1 Fill a large saucepan half full with water, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Arrange a few layers of dish towels on a work surface to drain the beans. Add the beans to the boiling water and begin timing immediately. Boil until the beans are tender to the bite but still green, 5 to 8 minutes. (Begin tasting after 4 minutes; the cooking time will vary, depending on the age of the beans and how quickly your stove top returns water to a boil.) Don’t undercook, as toothy green beans are not the goal here. Drain the beans, or use tongs to lift them out of the water, and spread them out on the towels to let excess moisture drain and evaporate, about 5 minutes.

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