When the Accidental Locavore did the DeGustibus class with David Lebovitz, one of the stand-out dishes was this simple preparation of green beans. Doused with garlic and butter, like escargot, what could be bad? Serves 4:
Very Garlicky Green Beans
- 1 pound green beans, tips removed (as he says—to be French!)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
- 3 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ cup finely chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
- Few drops lemon juice
Steam the green beans until just tender. (I put them in a covered dish in the microwave for 3-4 minutes.) Drain them in a colander or dish towel.
In a large skillet, on medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Add the green beans, and cook until they are completely cooked and thoroughly coated in the garlic mixture. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over them, toss, serve and enjoy!
My verdict:
Delicious and really simple to prepare! David describes them as being in snail butter or haricots verts au beurre d’escargot (sounds much better in French, doesn’t it?) and I say, what’s not to like with butter and garlic? If you didn’t trim the beans (never one of my favorite tasks) it would be even faster, but David says the French believe that the tips are fraught with danger.
You could steam and toss any number of vegetables in the snail butter — broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, even potatoes and they’d be great! When I made the Turkish spiced chicken, I used these green beans as the side dish and it worked out wonderfully. This is going to be one of those go-to recipes to perk up lots of side-dish vegetables (like the kind my husband always insists on) — spinach may be my next “victim.” What would you use it for?
