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Bountiful beansTimes have changed! I used to believe that "beans" were either green or yellow string beans and if you didn't pick them young and fast, they were tough and lived up to the "stringy" part of their name. Today, in gardens and grocery stores we find beans come in many colors, sizes, shapes and flavors, from long beans (that measure up to their name and have no strings) to the small round-pod green beans known as French Haricot Vert (very slender, tiny, slightly sweet), to the old-fashioned Kentucky Wonder green beans that are slightly flat, fleshy, firm and may have some strings. There are also Italian green beans--flat, broad, full flavor and no strings. Purple beans are actually not a variety. Many varieties are purple until cooked. The underlying color is green and it disappears in the heat. So why pay for the color? The simplest, freshest way to deal with beans is to cook them to crunchy tenderness. (I had a teacher once who lisped a little and called this, "crips tender.") Season them lightly or sauce them and serve as a vegetable or salad, with pasta or in soup. How to cook fresh beans Serve cooked beans plain with butter and lemon zest or with salt and pepper--or according to any dressing recipe. If making a day ahead, wrap the cool beans airtight and chill. To reheat, immerse cooked beans in boiling water until hot, 1 to 2 minutes; drain. Or nuke them. Trim stem ends and pull any strings, leave whole or cut into 2- to 3-inch lengths. Add beans to boiling water and cook until just tender to bite, 3 to 7 minutes. Drain. Serve hot. Or immerse beans at once in ice water until cool, to preserve texture and their bright color. Drain and serve, or cover and chill up to 1 day. Tarragon Vinaigrette A fresh-tasting herb dressing, tangy with mustard. This suits small whole beans. 1/4 cup rice vinegar
Shake together well and use with one pound of cooked fresh beans. Makes 4 or more servings. Curry Spice Beans This works well with Kentucky Wonders, long beans, round pods, yellow wax, or Italian green beans. In other words, most any bean will take kindly to this recipe. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
In a frying pan heat the oil and then add cumin and mustard seeds. Shake pan often until seeds sizzle and begin to pop, less than a minute. Add shallots and stir until limp, about 2 minutes. Stir in curry powder and chili flakes. Add the cooked beans to the pan and stir until beans are coated with seasonings and hot, 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Makes 4 servings. Bean Bundles Use yard-long beans if available but other green beans can be tied together and treated to the sauce. The presentation won't be quite as dramatic but the taste will be delicious. Tarragon vinaigrette (above) can be substituted as the dressing. 1 pound yard-long beans, cooked
Immerse the beans in ice water to cool as soon as they are crisp-tender. When cool, drain and lay full length on a platter with stem ends together. With a hand at each end of the beans, pull them close together to form a log. Remove 4 beans and slide each under the log, equally spaced. Loosely tie each of the 4 beans over the lot to hold it together. Mix soy sauce with Asian (toasted) sesame oil and pour over beans. Or omit this mixture and moisten beans with sesame or tarragon vinaigrette. To serve, cut across bean log between tied means to make 4 bundles. Makes 4 servings. Bean Knots You can assemble these the day before a party and add the dressing when ready to serve. Season as for Bean Bundles (above). 1 pound long beans Cook the fresh beans until crisp-tender. Drain and immerse in ice water. When cold, drain. For each portion, gather 6 to 8 beans by the stem end and loosely coil or tie into a loose knot. Season and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings. 2 Recipes in One: Southwestern Roasted Green Beans plus Asian Roasted Green Beens You can vary this recipe by substituting 2 tablespoons sesame seeds for the pine nuts and 1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil for the butter; bake until sesame seeds are golden, about 5 minutes. Omit cayenne and add soy sauce to taste. 2 1/2 pounds green beans (any variety)
Preheat oven to 450 F. Rinse and drain beans; trim and discard stem ends and strings. In each of two 12- by 17-inch baking pans, mix half of the beans with half of the oil; spread level. Bake until beans are slightly browned and tender when pierced, 15 to 25 minutes; switch pan positions halfway through baking. Stir half of the nuts and butter into beans in each pan; continue baking until nuts are golden, 5 to 6 minutes longer. Pour into a bowl and mix in the cayenne and salt. Makes 8 servings. You know summer is here when the beans stretch and fill. 7/14/08 Date: 7/7/08 Advertisement
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