Friday, June 24, 2005

Eat Yer Veggies


Thursday was not a good day for leisurely cooking dinner. We still had enough leftover Rustic Spinach Tart from the night before (a fabulous blessing since I only had a few minutes to get dinner together). For our side dish, and because I had fresh green beans on hand, I used/altered a recipe for Italian Dijon Green Beans from the September 2004 issue of Vegetarian Times. I first cooked this dish only a few weeks ago and was distressed when, after steaming the beans, I realized I didn't have any Dijon mustard in the house. All I could find was nasty yellow mustard and an odd jar of Raspberry Wasabi Dipping Mustard. I'm not sure where the dipping mustard came from, and the jar had never been opened, but since The Carnivore and I both love wasabi, I figured it was worth a try (thank God I was right).

*****
Italian Dijon Green Beans
  • 1 lb fresh green beans, washed and ends trimmed
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano or Italian spice blend
  • Salt (I used sea salt) and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbs sesame seeds (black or white, though the black ones add a nice visual touch)
  1. Steam the beans, covered, until bright green but still very crisp, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the beans until crisp-tender, for about 2 minutes, tossing gently with tongs.
  3. Combine the mustard and oregano in the serving bowl. Add the beans, and toss them in the mixture, stirring until coated.
  4. Add the salt and pepper; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

This is such a yummy recipe, and beats the crap out of canned green beans. I like to make sure the beans stay as crisp as possible. Overcooked, limp beans just don't have the same allure. There is something really refreshing about fresh green beans. I haven't ever grown them myself, though I want to try, but I remember pinching the ends off of fresh grean beans on my grandmother's front porch when I was a kid. Every time I hold a handful of fresh green beans now, it throws me back to my childhood and makes me want to go play in the garden.

2 comments:

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