It's Easy Being Green
When beans are snappy and plentiful, take a versatile approach.
These days, we cook green beans quite differently than we used to. At one time, we used the blanch-and-saute method, which meant first dropping them into a pan of rapidly boiling water and letting them cook for 2 minutes. Then we lifted them out and cooled them down in an ice bath (i.e., a bowl of cold water with plenty of ice cubes). Just before serving the beans, we tossed them in a skillet of butter -- sometimes with a few sliced almonds added to the pan.
When beans are bursting from their farmstand baskets, as they are now, with a snap and meaty quality we don't see the rest of the year, we like to try other techniques. That's how we got hooked on what we call "every night green beans." We don't want to wait for the blanching water to come to a boil, so instead we pull out a large saucepan and fill it with washed and trimmed beans. There may be enough water clinging to them, or we may need to add a few extra tablespoons, so that the beans will steam. Then we add a sprinkle of olive oil, salt, and some crushed red pepper. We cover the pot and cook the beans until they're the texture we like. Sheryl uncovers the pot and stirs the beans several times, letting them cook just until they are still bright green but tender -- this takes about 8 minutes. Julie goes into another room to read a book while her beans cook. She considers them done when they're very limp and look like the vegetable your grandmother cooked for you. But they taste wonderful -- especially with a fried egg dropped on top, so that the yolk breaks and coats the beans.
Ask the Cooks: Accept No Imitations
Madagascar vanilla extract is really expensive now. I need an alternative for daily baking (cookies, quick breads, chocolate cakes). What about Tahitian or Mexican vanillas? Do some cheap Mexican vanillas contain the poisonous tonka bean? And what do you think about -- gasp! -- imitation vanilla? —MONICA VELGOS, Cambridge
We won't touch imitation vanilla; we think it ruins confections and obliterates the taste of good butter and all the other high-quality ingredients that go into baked goods.
We found a 4-ounce bottle of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon pure vanilla extract one of the best brands there is -- for $9.99 at
Mexican vanilla, reports Patricia Rain, author of The Vanilla Cookbook, can contain coumarin, an extract of tonka beans, which are carcinogenic and have been banned in food in this country since the 1950s. Coumarin, writes Rain, enhances the flavor of imitation vanilla. However, there are reputable brands, such as Nielsen, of pure Mexican vanilla. Surfas (www.surfasonline.com) sells Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon vanilla paste ($16.29 for 4 ounces), which you use teaspoon for teaspoon in place of extract. Add this to a batter while creaming the butter. Nielsen also makes a "new pure vanilla extract blend"; Marty's Liquors (193 Harvard Avenue, Brighton, 617-782-3250) carries the blend ($10.99 for 4 ounces).
Recipes
GARLICKY GREEN BEANS (Serves 4)
1 pound green beans, trimmed
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Salt, to taste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the green beans and let the water return to a boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the beans are tender but still have some bite. Drain them into a colander and rinse the beans. Shake the colander to remove the excess water.
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Cook the garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring often, or until it is golden.
Add the beans with salt. Cook over medium heat, tossing them frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat and serve at once.
EVERY NIGHT GREEN BEANS (Serves 4)
1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water Salt, to taste
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
In a large saucepan, combine the green beans, oil, water, salt, and crushed red pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat, turning the beans often, for 8 to 12 minutes or until the beans are still bright green but tender. Remove from the pan and serve at once.
GREEN BEANS SIMMERED IN TOMATO SAUCE (Serves 4)
4 large ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Core the tomatoes and drop them into the water. Count to 10 and remove the tomatoes. Peel off the skins and discard. Halve the tomatoes horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds. Cut the flesh into strips. Set them aside.
In a flameproof casserole, heat the oil and cook the garlic for 2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
Add the beans and stir thoroughly, so they're coated all over with the tomato mixture. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until the beans are tender but still have some bite. Sprinkle with basil, taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if you like. Serve at once.
GREEN BEAN AND ZUCCHINI SUCCOTASH WITH ROAST COD (Serves 4)
Olive oil (for sprinkling)
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless cod (from the thick end), cut into 4 serving pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound green beans, trimmed
4 small zucchini, trimmed
4 ears corn, shucked
2 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Set the oven at 450 degrees. Lightly oil a baking dish large enough to hold the cod pieces in one layer. Place the cod in the dish and sprinkle with oil, salt, and pepper; set it aside.
Cut the green beans into thirds.
Quarter the zucchini lengthwise. With a paring knife, remove the seeds from each long strip. Cut the strips into 1/8-inch-thick pieces. Set them aside.
Use a paring knife to remove the corn kernels from the cob. Set them aside.
Roast the cod in the hot oven for 10 minutes or until it is cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, melt the butter. Cook the garlic over medium heat for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in the green beans and water. Cover the skillet and cook the beans for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (they will not be cooked through).
Add the zucchini, salt, and pepper. Re-cover the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the zucchini is almost tender.
Stir in the corn, re-cover the skillet, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes more or until all the vegetables are tender but not mushy. Stir in the cream and basil and heat just until the mixture is bubbling at the edges. Add more salt and pepper, to taste.
Divide the succotash among 4 dinner plates. Set a piece of cod on each one and sprinkle with parsley. Serve at once.
SQUASH, GREEN BEAN, AND WHITE BEAN CASSEROLE (Serves 6)
1 large peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 3-inch pieces Olive oil (for sprinkling)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 large tomatoes, peeled and cut into eighths
1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into thirds
4 medium zucchini, halved, seeds removed, flesh cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed with water
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Set the oven at 425 degrees. Spread the squash, flat side up, in a baking pan and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Add 1/4 cup of the water to the edges of the pan. Roast the squash for 30 minutes or until it is almost tender when pierced with a fork. Set it aside to cool completely.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy-based casserole, heat the vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until it softens. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds
Stir in the tomatoes and the remaining 3 cups of water. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.
Cut the reserved squash into 1-inch pieces.
Stir the squash, green beans, zucchini, oregano, red pepper, salt, and black pepper into the tomato mixture. Let the mixture cook over medium-high heat until the edges are bubbling. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook the mixture for 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are very tender.
Add the cannellini beans and bring the mixture to a boil. If the mixture seems dry, add water to the pan. The stew should be thick, with plenty of juices in the pan. Lower the heat and simmer the vegetables for 5 minutes more.
Ladle the stew into large deep bowls and sprinkle with feta and mint. Serve at once with crusty bread.
