Sautéed Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots
Max texted me yesterday from Paris (where he's studying abroad for the semester) asking for my recipe for green beans. We all love these sautéed beans, and since I make them weekly, I'm surprised I hadn't posted the recipe sooner. I usually make twice the amount I need, as I'll eat them straight out of the pan while cooking (which drives Stephan ca-raaaazy). Plus they make great leftovers (eaten alone, in a salad, heated up or @ room temperature). I typically make them as a side with Asian dishes, like Yogurt Chicken or Chicken Curry. You can definitely use a standard green bean here, but I prefer to use the thinner French beans--haricots verts. Not everyone in my family would agree, but I like when the beans begin to turn golden brown. If you like your beans brighter and crispier, just sauté them for less time.
Note: While the instructions below recommend sautéing the shallots and beans separately (a more fool-proof approach to avoid burning the shallots), once you've made them a few times, you might sauté them together this way: Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add shallots, and sauté for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, place beans OVER the shallots (don't mix them together, in other words) and continue to sauté until the shallots begin to caramelize. At this point, mix shallots thoroughly into the beans, increase the heat to medium-high and sauté until the beans begin to brown.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 1b. green beans, trimmed
2 shallots, chopped or sliced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
Cook the green beans in boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, or until crisp tender. Drain. Plunge the beans into ice water to stop the cooking process and drain again. Place beans on a towel to absorb excess water.
Place olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, and sauté until the shallots begin to caramelize. Reduce heat if browning too quickly.
Once the shallots are nicely browned, remove from the pan, place in a bowl and set aside. Add more oil to the pan, increase the heat to medium-high, and add green beans. Sauté beans for about 5 minutes, until there's some slight browning happening.
Reduce heat and add shallots back to pan. Mix shallots and beans together thoroughly and heat for an additional minute or two.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
