green beans with onions, mushrooms, and peppers
SERVES 2
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOK TIME: 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
2 tablespoons plus ¼ teaspoon salt
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3 tablespoons clarified butter, ghee, or coconut oil
½ cup thinly sliced white onion
½ cup thinly sliced button, cremini, or portabella mushrooms
½ red bell pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and sliced into strips
¼ teaspoon black pepper
The quick cooking (blanching) ensures the green beans retain their crisp texture and vivid color when you cook them. Shocking them in cold water halts the cooking process (no more mushy green beans), and locks in the flavor, texture, and color. Properly shocked beans will be cold, bright green, and still have a firmness when snapped.
CREATE an ice bath for “shocking” the green beans by filling a large bowl halfway with cold water, then adding the ice.
BRING 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of the salt to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat Add the green beans and blanch for 20 seconds. Remove from the pot using kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon and shock them immediately in the ice bath. As soon as the green beans are chilled (about 1 minute), transfer to a colander and drain.
HEAT the cooking fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom of the pan. When the fat is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook until the peppers and mushrooms have softened, about 2 minutes.
TURN the heat to high. Add the green beans to the skillet and toss with the other vegetables. Cook, shaking the pan often, until the beans are tender, about 2 minutes. (The easiest way to test is by tasting one!) Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and the pepper.
MAKE IT A MEAL: Serve this colorful side dish with a Spinach Frittata, Stuffed Peppers, Halibut with Citrus-Ginger Glaze, or Chicken Meatballs.
✪ HARICOTS VERTS You might also see beans called haricots verts (French for “green beans”) in the produce aisle. French green beans are longer and thinner than regular green beans, are more tender, and have a more complex flavor. They also tend to cook up faster, so if you’re using haricots verts in this recipe, blanch for same amount of time, but cook, stirring, for just 1 minute in the last step.
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