Classic Country Green Beans Food

CLASSIC BUTTERED GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water; generously salt the water.
• Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook until bright green and just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain and transfer to the ice water to cool completely. Drain again and transfer to a paper towel-lined baking sheet; pat dry.
• Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, season with salt and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the green beans to the pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until hot, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 1 tablespoon water and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; stir to coat.

CLASSIC GREEN BEANS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Generously grease a casserole dish with 1 tablespoon butter. Bring a generously salted pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat.
• Remove stems from beans by trimming with a knife or snapping them off with your fingers. Cut beans in half.
• Add beans to the boiling water, stir, and cook until just barely tender, 5 to 6 minutes, testing often to make sure you don't overcook them.
• Remove beans with a strainer and immediately place in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process.
• Once beans have cooled to the touch, use your hands to drain and transfer them into the prepared casserole. It's okay if they're still a bit wet.
• Season beans with pepper, kosher salt, and Dijon mustard; mix until beans are well coated. Pour in cream, scatter Comté cheese over top, and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• Combine melted butter and bread crumbs in a small bowl. Stir until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand. Spoon and sprinkle bread crumbs over the casserole, then dust with cayenne.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven until browned and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

SLOW-COOKED COUNTRY GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Add the oil in a medium, heavy saucepan. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add the ham hocks, garlic, and beans. Add enough water to almost completely cover the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and serve with the cooking liquid.

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE FROM COOKS ILLUSTRATED

Steps:

• For the topping: Pulse bread, butter, salt, and pepper in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 one-second pulses. Transfer to large bowl and toss with onions; set aside.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Fill large bowl with ice water. Bring 4 qts. of water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add two tbls. salt and the green 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 teaspoons salt, and 1/8 teaspoons 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 1/2 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 13 x 9") baking dish. Sprinkle with topping and bake until top is golden brown ans sauce is bubbling around edges, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.
• To prepare ahead: Store breadcrumb topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator and combine with the onion just before cooking. Combine the beans and cooled sauce in a baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, remove plastic wrap and heat casserole in a 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then add the topping and bake as directed. This recipe can be halved and baked in a 2 quart (or 8" square) baking dish. Reduce cooking time of the sauce in Step 3 to about 6 minutes and the baking time in Step 4 to 10 minutes.

COUNTRY GREEN BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Grab a good sized pot.
• Set the heat on the stove to medium high.
• Cook the bacon in the pot until brown, but not crunchy (include onion in this step cooked until translucent if desired).
• Add canned beans with juice to pot, making sure to stir the bacon and its juices into liquid.
• Add pepper sauce, salt, and pepper to pot.
• Leave on medium-high heat, uncovered, until beans and liquid come to a slight boil.
• When a boil is achieved, stir, turn the heat down to medium-low and cover (adjust the heat so the beans are just about boiling with the cover on but not boiling out of the pot).
• Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10-20 minutes.
• Add more spices if desired (take a taste test every now and then).
• For fresh beans, before cooking as directed above, boil beans in enough water to cover + 1 teaspoon salt for 5 minutes (I feel this helps get rid of the strange taste some fresh green beans have).
• Drain.
• Add fresh green beans to recipe as indicated, but add enough water to cover once more.

COUNTRY GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. Drain if necessary.