A. Kane
You probably have noticed that I eat a lot of salads, especially in the spring and summer. It's just that when you're cooking with exemplary ingredients, I find that there is not much you have to do to them to make them shine. But I am hardly a raw foodist. In fact, when I cook something—I cook something.
Long-cooked green beans may not be the prettiest dish, but it's just one of those recipes. The green beans could be called gray beans, they are stewed for such a long time, but they are truly delicious. The lonely little green bean is so meltingly tender and delightfully sweet, you may never look at it the same way again.
This dish is a take on common Mediterranean dish. In fact, there are many cultures that use similar long-cooking techniques for their vegetables. I have seasoned it with a squeeze of lemon juice, and a healthy sprinkling of fresh dill added at the end. This really brightens the dish.
This also is wonderful cooked, and then left to eat at room temperature. In these sweltering summer days I don't know about you, but there isn't much that I want to eat when it's piping hot. With a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, and served over bulgur wheat, or cous cous, this makes a wonderful vegetarian supper.
Long Cooked Green Beans
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, sliced
1 small dried chile, crushed (optional)
1 pound green beans, cleaned and trimmed
¾ cup water
half a lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
In a dutch oven, or shallow pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots, the chile, and a bit of salt and pepper, and sauté just until the shallots are beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the green beans, tossing well to mix in with the shallots. Pour in the water, and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cover pan with a lid. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes for about 1 hour. The beans will begin to fall apart, and lose much of there color, and water should be mostly absorbed. Turn off the heat, sprinkle with dill, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper, if needed. Enjoy!
Adrienne Kane is a writer and photographer. She is the author of a memoir, Cooking and Screaming, and the food blog, nosheteria.com
How do you like to prepare green beans? Chime in below!
Like this? Read these!
- Blackened Green Beans with Red Pepper Dipping Sauce
- Julia Child's Guide to Making Perfect Green Beans
- Cook with What's in Season: Fava Beans, Early Spring to Early Summer
- See all of Adrienne's posts here
