Simply Elegant Green Beans


My mother-in-law lived with us for about a year, after her husband died and she moved to California.  As her birthday approached, we explained it was our family custom that she select the menu for her celebration dinner — anything at all was acceptable, as long as it was something that we could buy or make.  Imagine our disappointment when she asked for a simple hamburger and green beans!  The children were particularly horrified, as they had been dreaming of homemade pizza or a 25# lasagna, and even with the added request of dill and thyme on the green beans, nothing could ease their pain.

I admit I was confused by her request, as well.  She had lived a comfortable life that some might consider ‘privileged’, and I had known her to dine most often on an expensive steak or a luxurious crab salad or even pheasant.  Green beans?

Many years have passed and, while I am still far away from her 90 years of age, I am starting to see the world a little through her eyes. Sometimes it really IS the simpler things that pack the biggest punch, especially when it is freshly picked green beans from your own garden.

I have doctored up her very simple recipe, just a bit, but have kept the dill and thyme that she loved so much.

Simply Elegant Green Beans

Ingredients

fresh (or frozen) green beans
olive oil
Kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper
crushed garlic
dill
thyme
small amount of Chardonnay

I realize this isn’t much of a recipe, but it’s only green beans!  Most of this year’s green bean crop have been trimmed, blanched in salt water, shocked in ice water to preserve the color and stop the cooking, and frozen for later use.  We can only eat so many vegetables at once, and the cucumbers and zucchini have been taking center stage for weeks.  But, the beauty of frozen green beans is they are just as good as fresh, especially if they are grown with love.
 

Instructions

[Whether fresh or frozen, I blanch the beans, first, in salted water.  If the beans have been frozen, they do not need to be thawed before putting in the olive oil.]

Saute the green beans in a skillet, in a little olive oil, until they begin to soften (remember, they are already blanched, so do not need much cooking).  Season, to taste, with salt & pepper, dill and thyme.

Add crushed garlic, stirring to soften & cook the garlic.  Add a little Chardonnay to the pan, to deglaze any crusty bits and make a light sauce. Sometimes I put a lid on the pan, to allow the beans to cook a bit longer in the wine.  When the beans are cooked and tender to taste, remove the lid and allow any excess wine to cook off.

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Serving suggestion:  We enjoyed the beans with a juicy cheeseburger with — yes! — sweet zucchini relish.  It really doesn’t get much better than this.