Provençal Green Beans with Lemon-Pepper Oil and Herbed Sea Salt
This week’s CSA box presented us with a gorgeous bunch of green beans – one of my favorite, simple veggies. I went straight to work searching for a recipe that included lemon. Our lemon tree is not only in hyper-warp-speed production mode this time of year – busily littering our lawn with fragrant yellow bombs faster than I can scoop them up – but I have a recollection of some terrific green bean/lemon dish my sister-in-law served one holiday. Sure, it would be easy enough to just give her a call and ask for the recipe, but I am always happy for an excuse to bury my face in one of my many cookbooks..
The spine of Susie Middleton’s Fast, Fresh & Green (Chronicle Books 2010) catches my eye. Green beans are green. This book has “green” in the title. Let’s take a look – maybe it’s a SIGN! And lo and behold – there it was … Provençal Green Beans with Lemon-Pepper Oil and Herbed Sea Salt. Love at first glance. So maybe it wasn’t the most scientific approach to finding a recipe, but when you get results, does it really matter how it happened? Don’t answer that..
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PROVENÇAL GREEN BEANS with LEMON-PEPPER OIL and HERBED SEA SALT
- 2 TSP KOSHER SALT
- 1 LB/455 G GREEN BEANS, stem ends trimmed
- 2 TBSP QUICK-INFUSED LEMON-PEPPER OIL (recipe follows) or best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ to 1 TSP PROVENÇAL HERB SALT (recipe follows) or coarse sea salt, preferably fleur de sel
Fill a large saucepan half full with water, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Arrange a few layers of dish towels on a work surface to drain the beans. Add the beans to the boiling water and begin timing immediately. Boil until the beans are tender to the bite but still green, 5 to 8 minutes. (Begin tasting after 4 minutes; the cooking time will vary, depending on the age of the beans and how quickly your stove top returns water to a boil.) Don’t undercook, as toothy green beans are not the goal here. Drain the beans, or use tongs to lift them out of the water, and spread them out on the towels to let excess moisture drain and evaporate, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the beans to a shallow serving dish and drizzle most of the oil over them. Sprinkle with some of the herb salt. Toss gently and add more oil to coat well and more herb salt. Taste a bean and add still more salt if you like (be generous!). Serve warm.
Serves 4
QUICK-INFUSED LEMON-PEPPER OIL
- 2 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
- 1 TBSP PACKED GRATED LEMON ZEST
- 8 COARSE GRINDS BLACK PEPPER
Pour the olive oil into a small bowl and add the lemon zest and pepper. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before using.
Yields 2 tablespoons
PROVENÇAL HERB SALT
- 1/4 TSP CHOPPED FRESH LAVENDER BUDS OR ROSEMARY LEAVES
- ½ TSP SEA SALT
In a small bowl, combine the lavender with the salt and mix well with your fingers. Let sit for a few minutes before using.
Yields ¾ teaspoon
Once these were made, I was so antsy to try them I declared the dish an appie, thus giving us license to eat them immediately. Oh. My. Thank you Susie Middleton – THANK YOU!! I wish I could hand you an award for creating an extraordinarily simple recipe that elevates the quintessential fresh green bean to an elegant new level. (And a heaping tablespoon of gratitude for graciously granting us permission to reprint your recipes!)
We went the rosemary – versus lavender – route for the herbed salt. I bet the lavender would be interesting, and – as there is no question I will be making this again – I will have to give that alternative a try; it’s fun to have creative options.
The final test? The Kev-O-Meter. He gives it a 4 out of 5. I am a solid 5 of 5. Even the French judge gives it a 5.0 (take that Kev!).
Want more? Check out Susie’s site AND her new book of vegetable main dishes, The Fresh and Green Table (Chronicle Books, 2012). A word of caution: Susie’s website, as my mom declared after exploring it, is “quite addictive”; be prepared to stay for a while!
Gorgeous! I have some haricot verts steaming away as I type, so I just might have to take some inspiration from this recipe. And….I’d be more than happy to take on some of those lemons from your tree.
Luv you guys!
Haha … will indeed bring you lemons – tonight!! :0)
I tried these amazing green beans tonight! I didn’t have the ingredients to make the herb salt and they were still wonderful. My picky roommate even approved! Thanks for the receipe, it is a keeper for sure. I will have to check out Susie’s website for sure. Thanks Andi and Kevin for the perfect lemons.
Soooo great to hear! Let us know when you need more lemons – they are dropping daily!
I am making these for my lunch– can’t wait all the way till dinner!!! And thanks for telling how to make the lemon pepper oil! Was SURE I’d never find where to buy it conveniently!
I cannot wait to hear how much you LOVE these! The theme works perfectly with your kitchen too! Ha! :0) My friend already purchased Susie’s new cookbook – The Fresh and Green Table and is really enjoying it. Will be posting SOON about the vegan lemon bars I made last night … clearly, we are making the most of our lemon tree’s abundance!
I already got Susie’s cookbook! Had it for a couple days and then gave it to my aunt for her birthday as I knew she would love it and I was without a gift idea! She couldn’t wait to read through all the recipes and make some of them. I made two of the recipes from the cookbook before I gave it away (no worries…another one is set to arrive on Thursday). The “walk- in – the – woods grilled pizza” was amazing and the “Greek Spinich- Salad Pasta” was maybe the best salad I’ve ever had! My first attempt at grilling pizza dough was a big success. Thanks for all the ideas Andi and Kevin. Keep them coming!
LOVE that you are already giving away Susie’s cookbooks! I too need to get her latest one – cannot wait – especially as I was the lucky dinner guest when you showcased the “Walk-in-the-Woods Grilled Pizza” and “Greek Spinach-Salad Pasta” recipes. Awesome.