Victory!!! Ben is not a picky eater by any means, and he does not complain about many foods, but he just hates green beans (particularly from a can). I decided to take a chance with this recipe for fresh green beans and see if I could get a positive reaction from him, and thankfully I did. I was not sure if I would like this either because I am generally not a fan of nuts, but the almonds are great in this dish. This is another Williams Sonoma recipe. The only change I made was to halve it because the original dimensions were for 2 lbs. of beans. Who needs that many beans?
Green Beans with Almonds
Ingredients:
Coarse salt, to taste
1 lb. slender green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup slivered blanched almonds
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 ½ tsp. olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Directions:
Fill a large pot three-fourths full of lightly salted water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Set aside. (The beans can be prepared up to this point 1 day in advance, covered tightly and refrigerated until ready to use.)
In a large fry pan over medium heat, toast the almonds, stirring continuously, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent and beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the beans. Sauté, stirring continuously, until heated through and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley and almonds. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately. Serves 4-5.
