My family is pro green bean casserole -- but my in-laws do not share the same love. Therefore my wife picked out a recipe for a much different application of green beans. And these are so fresh, crisp, and rich ... I almost didn't miss my beloved French-fried onions. (Almost)
I started by boiling fresh green beans (or haricots verts, if you want to be really fancy) in salted water until they are just tender, maybe 5-7 minutes.
Then drain them and "shock" them by throwing them into a bowl of ice water. This will immediately stop the cooking process, keep them crisp, and lock in that great bight green color.
I actually did these in the morning. The I patted them dry, wrapped them in a paper towel, and put them into the fridge in a sealed plastic bag until I was ready to cook everything later in then afternoon.
Then heat up a few Tbsp of butter in a large pan with a 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks. Heat it all through and coat the beans in that great buttery sauce. The transfer them to a serving dish and top with the zest of 1/2 lemon and a few pinches of salt.
The butter is really rich, but the lemon zest cuts through with a nice acidity. Then there is a complexity of flavor from the ginger. It is a really great dish ... much better than some plan old green beans. That's for sure.
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