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| String beans and tomatoes |
One thing that I never tire of on Friday night is string beans. I make them every week, and I never get bored of them. I do try to vary the recipe when I can, and I was pleased to come up with a new one last week. What's really nice about this one is that it works even with mediocre winter string beans, and since it's a slow cooked recipe, you can leave it in the oven for hours on Friday night, if your oven's on. I usually prefer crisp string beans, but this recipe is really nice for a change.
Do you have any good string bean recipes? Please share your favorites in the Comments section below.
Slow Cooked String Beans
1 lb. string beans, ends trimmed
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped coarsely
1 plum tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes, chopped
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
a dash of cinnamon
a dash of Aleppo pepper or cayenne
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use canola)
1/4 cup water
Preheat the oven to 300*. (If you need the oven at 350*, the recipe will probably work fine, but you may need to add a bit more water and decrease the baking time.)
Combine the vegetables in an ovenproof dish, preferably glass. Add the spices and salt, and stir. Sprinkle the oil and water over all. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 2-3 hours until the string beans are as soft as you like them. Give the beans a mix from time to time. If the mixture looks dry, add a bit of water. The baking time varies based on the freshness and size of the beans, and also based on how soft you like them. Serve hot, at room temperature, or even cold.
I have two simple green bean recipes (but both are yummy!)
ReplyDelete1) also a slow roasted one: about 2-3 lb. of washed & snipped whole green beans (fresh works better with this recipe, but I've used frozen also)tossed with 5-6 garlic cloves (cut into chunks), a small palm-ful of salt (probably around a teaspoon or two- or to taste), and a TBSP (or so) of olive oil. Roast covered for 1 hour at 350, then reduce to 250 and continue roasting for about 3-4 hours. You can mix at some point in the middle, but it's not even necessary.
2) green beans with tomato sauce: saute a chopped onion in a bit of oil until slightly browned. Add green beans and 1 8oz can of tomato sauce per lb. of green beans, plus enough water to almost cover the beans (I usually use the tomato sauce can to add about 1-3 cups of water, (frozen beans or ones cut small require less water.) Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium low and continue cooking, covered for about 45 minutes to an hour. This is best served over rice. Enjoy!
Esther