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Green Bean Casserole from
"Cooks Illustrated"
Nothing stirs up controversy quite like the simple green bean casserole.
My personal opinion is that the classic Campbell's Holiday
Green Bean Casserole is a perfect dish, and luckily my family feels the same.
I cook it year after year because they like it and they expect it. I guess that's
part of the the secret to it's popularity.
Some
people on the other hand would NEVER eat Campbell's Green Bean Casserole. For
many of them this recipe from Cook's Illustrated is the only Green Bean Casserole
Recipe they'd consider preparing or serving To
each his own! Green Bean Casserole Beans
and Sauce: Table salt 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed, and halved
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 pound white button mushrooms, stems trimmed, wiped
clean, and broken into 1/2 inch ieces 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed
(1 Tbsp) Ground black pepper 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 1.5 cups low-sodium
chicken broth 1.5 cups heavy cream Topping: 4 slices white
sandwich bread, each torn into quarters 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp. table salt 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper 3 cups canned fried onions
(6 oz, about one can) For
the topping: Pulse bread, butter, salt & pepper in a food processor until
mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to large
bowl and toss with onions; set aside. For
the beans and sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425
degrees. Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large
Dutch oven. Add 2 Tbsp. of table salt, and the beans. Cook beans until bright
green and crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Drain beans in colander and plunge immediately
into ice water to stop cooking. Spread beans on paper-towel-lined baking sheet
to drain. Add butter to
now-empty Dutch oven and melt over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add
mushrooms, garlic, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper; cook until mushrooms release
moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add flour and cook for 1 minute,
stirring constantly. Stir in broth and bring to simmer, stirring constantly. Add
cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced
to 3.5 cups, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add
green beans to sauce and stir until evenly coated. Arrange in even layer in 3-quart
(or 13x9-inch) baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden
brown and sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
Serves 10-12
Cooks Illustrated November
& December 2006
Tasty & Easy Green Bean Recipes
Armenian
Green Beans with Ground Meat and Tomatoes Blanched
Green Beans Fried Green Beans Ginger
Garlic Green Beans Greek Green Beans
Greek Potatoes and Green Beans
Green
Beans a'la Waterman's Green Beans Almondine
Green Beans Almondine (with a hint of lemon)
Green Beans Almondine (with an Asian flair)
Green Beans Almondine (with mushrooms) Green
Bean Casserole (Campbell's) Green Bean Casserole
(Cook's Illustrated) Green Beans in Sour Cream
& Tomato Sauce Green Bean
Salad, Dill, Parsley & Savory Green
Bean Salad, Feta & Pecans Green Bean Salad,
Provençal Green
Bean Salad, Soy Glazed Almonds, Cilantro Green
Beans with Coconut Green Beans with Ginger
Butter Green Beans with Onion Paste (Madhur
Jaffrey) Green Beans with Shallots
Italian Green Beans (St. Anna Beans) Oven
Roasted Green Beans Pears with Green Beans
& Bacon Persian Green Beans
& Rice Sautéed
Green Beans with Hazelnut Crumbs Sesame &
Portobello Green Beans
Sicilian Green Bean & Fennel Salad (Cooking Light)
Stir-Fried Green Beans with Pork & Chilies
Sweet & Sour Green Beans
Italian Green Bean recipe, St. Anna Bean recipe
This recipe comes courtesy of The Complete Mediterranean, The Beautiful Cookbook. There are several variations of this recipe. Another Tuscan variation of this recipe calls for the addition of one teaspoon of fresh marjoram, which we'd suggest you add right at the end of cooking for the freshest flavor. For a Lebanese flair you can use tomato paste in place of the chopped plum tomatoes and add parsley, mint, dill or oregano to taste.
Green Bean Salad, Provençal
This is an amazingly easy and tasty salad to showcase lovely haricots verts from the cookbook Simca's Cuisine by Simone "Simca" Beck. The French flair of this salad is unmistakable. We never knew that French cuisine could be so unfussy. We've made this salad many times but tend to enjoy it best when we can also showcase other produce grown right in our garden. We use our homegrown tomatoes, fennel, and basil.
Greek Potatoes and Green Beans
Another winning recipe from www.all-creatures.org. Keeping in the Greek tradition the green beans are cooked with tomatoe and potatoes. According to my Greek friend Karen this is the way her mother would present this dish, but she says that she would consider adding some garlic and oregano to jazz it up a bit.
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