19 April 2011

Spicy Garlic Green Beans

Basically I like green beans, full stop. Hard to beat fresh out of the garden in the summer - hard to beat dilly beans - and a simple stir-fry with garlic is always fantastic. Following on my friend Manfred's  technique when I visited over the summer, I made the following simple and super-satisfying preparation.

Ingredients

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 large or 2 small shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

Procedure

In a large skillet, heat oil to medium
Add shallots, garlic, pepper and salt
Stir into oil and cook 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant and shallots begin to soften
Add beans, and cook, stirring to cover entirely in oil and frequently enough to redistribute, for 10-15 minutes or until desired level of softening
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Fantastic - spicy, garlicky, beany. The oil is great for putting over rice, mopping up with bread, whatever.

1 comment:

Manfred said...

Appreciate the write-up! I've discovered that Chinese cooking wine breaks the beans in a nice way, too--still crunchy, but nicely shriveled.