Not Your Mother's Green Beans

Every summer when I was young, my mom would take me and my sister out to what was then the country, Bixby, OK.  It's the closest I got to a real produce farm and real farmers.  We only did it once a year because this was "out in the country," quite a trip for us city folks.  Now it seems like an every-day ride to the grocery story for us.  Bixby was only a 20 minute drive from where I lived.  There were only two things I remember her buying at the roadside stand:  green beans and watermelon. 

Mom only knew one way to prepare green beans.  She'd simmer them for hours with lots of bacon until they were as limp as spaghetti.  They tasted good to me, though.  Much different than what she served from a can the other months of the year.

It wasn't until I was an adult that I learned that you could steam green beans until tender and eat them like  French fries with not a piece of bacon in site.  Once I mastered the art of steaming, a whole new world opened up for me and my green beans.

Today we harvested our first batch of bush beans.  In honor of the occasion, I whipped up one of my favorite summer recipes for green bean salad.  Just think how much better it would taste if the tomatoes were fresh out of my garden, but I still have a few weeks to wait for that miracle to happen.

 Green Bean and Cherry Tomato Salad

1 1/4 pound of green beans, trimmed
1 1/4 pound cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 t. chopped fresh oregano
1 T. minced shallots or red onion
2 1/2 t. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper

Cook beans in boiling water or vegetable steamer until tender, about 7 minutes, then drain.  Place tomatoes, oregano and beans in a large bowl and toss gently.

In a small bowl, combine shallots or onions and garlic with vinegar stirring with a whisk.  Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.  Add oil, salt and pepper and whisk until well blended.  Pour vinaigrette over bean mixture and toss well.

This recipe is courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine