Bold and Crunchy Green Beans

by Jeannette Ordas of Everybody likes Sandwiches

I keep wondering when our CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture) share will start to dry up...it is fall, after all and I can't imagine it going on into winter. But so far, so good. We are still swimming in beautiful locally grown, organic vegetables and I'm not about to start complaining one bit.

With this batch of fresh and crunchy beans, I didn't want to roast or boil them into oblivion. To keep their crunch and colour, I steamed them lightly until they turned bright green (just a minute or so). Then quickly sauteed them with some ginger, garlic and some walnuts for added texture and crunch. I finished this dish off with a squeeze of lemon and a light sprinkle of sea salt. The end result was fantastic. Giant, bold flavours and the perfect way to preserve all the goodness of summer.

Bold Green Beans
1 lb green beans, ends trimmed
1 T olive oil
1 T thinly sliced ginger
1 fat clove of garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 c walnuts, broken into large pieces
1/4 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Add 1 inch of water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the green beans. Cover and steam for about 1 minute or so, until the beans turns bright green. Drain and set aside. If you are making these in advance, plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water until cool, and then drain.

2. In a large fry pan, heat olive oil on med-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, pepper, walnuts and the green beans. Sautee for a couple of minutes until the green beans are coated and the garlic, ginger and walnuts turn golden.

3. Place beans on a large serving platter and add the golden bits of garlic, ginger and walnuts over top. Squeeze lemon juice over top, sprinkle with kosher salt and serve immediately.