I heard this recipe on The Splendid Table on NPR last week. I listen to the podcast when I go jogging in the morning; something about Lynne Rossetto Kasper's soothing voice as she talks about the best way to pour port or the joys of making your own soft tofu is the happiest way to start my days. Last night I made her Greek-Style Green Beans, and they were unbelievably delicious. As to avoid making yet another trip to the grocery store I substituted the whole tomato for a few squeezes of tomato paste right on top of the green beans (again not stirring), and they turned out perfectly. They, and they alone, were my dinner last night, and I was a very happy girl. I'll copy the recipe below...
Greek-Style Green Beans
I’d
tell you to stick a Post-It right here because, once you try these,
you’ll be making them often -- but they’re simple enough that after one
time through, you’ll probably remember how to make them forever. These
green beans are cooked to falling-apart-ness in what’s essentially a
garlic-tomato confit. Every bite is imbued with flavor -- garlicky, a
little hot, meltingly tender; the kind of good that, with your first
bite, you close your eyes and grow silent.
The traditional Greek recipes
in which this method is rooted use as much as three quarters of a cup of
olive oil -- too much for me. The few tablespoons here give flavor and
allow the green beans to caramelize. Pretty they are not, but with one
bite that is moot. Back in my restaurant days, I once received a
proposal of marriage from a guest on the basis of these green beans.
Pay careful attention to the details here. Technique is all.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh green beans, tipped and tailed
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- About 1 tablespoon medium to finely chopped garlic (5 or 6 cloves)
- 1 large fresh tomato,
chopped (I go ahead and leave the skin on and seeds in; if you are
fussier than me, remove both and use only the chopped pulp of 2
tomatoes)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A few dashes of cayenne
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill
Instructions
1. Blanch the
green beans: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When
the water is boiling, add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain
them well, then rinse with cold water, and drain them again.
2. Spray a large, heavy
(preferably cast iron) skillet with a tight-fitting cover with oil, and
set it over very low heat. Add the olive oil, scatter the garlic over
it, and add the blanched green beans (in contrast to most sautes, the
green beans are added when neither pan, nor oil, nor garlic, is yet
hot). Scatter the tomato over the beans. Don’t stir.
3. Still keeping the heat as low
as possible, cover the beans and let them just barely cook, without
stirring, for about 40 minutes. I know it’s hard, but keep on not
stirring; leave the heat low enough so that nothing burns. If you like,
you can push a few beans back to check on the garlic at the bottom of
the skillet. It should not be browning, merely cooking very, very
slowly. Some of the beans will be browned on oneside, which is good. If
this hasn’t happened yet, cover again and cook for 10, even 15, minutes
more.
4. When the beans are soft, lift
the lid and stir gently. It is unlikely, but if there’s a noticeable
amount of liquid in the skillet, turn the heat up and, stirring gently
but constantly, evaporate the liquid off. You want soft,
barely-holding-together green beans. They should be slightly
shriveled-looking and browned lightly here and there, with a bit of the
garlic-tomato jam sticking to them.
5. Turn off the heat. Salt and
pepper the beans, sprinkle them with the cayenne and dill, stir one more
time, and serve. No, no, you don’t have to thank me.
