Green Beans with Slivered Almonds
Another string bean recipe – this time – a classic combination of the perfectly cooked beans with buttered toasted almonds. The crunch and richness of the almond is a perfect accompaniment to the simply cooked green bean. Call it Green Beans Almondine to add savoir-faire to your dinner table.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. green beans
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbs butter
- Fine quality flaky sea salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds blanched or unblanched
- 1 tbs butter
Instructions
- Fill a large pot ¾ full of water, add 2 tsp kosher salt, and bring to a rapid boil.
- Clean the beans by removing the stem and any brown ends.
- Prepare a large bowl of ice water and have it nearby for blanching (ice bath) the beans after they are finished cooking.
- Drop the beans into the rapidly boiling water and cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until just tender. You should test for doneness as they cook by taking one out of the boiling water, using some tongs, and dropping them in the ice bath, and then tasting. They should be just cooked, not crisp – but not mushy. Perfectly in-between those two states.
- Quickly pull the beans out of the boiling water using tongs or strain them into a colander and then immediately transfer them into the ice bath. Blanching stops the cooking and preserves the bright green color.
- After they are completely cool, strain them into a colander set into the sink. Shake off excess water, and then toss them onto some dry paper towels laid out on the counter and dry them off a bit more.
- Place them back into a mixing bowl. Pour the melted butter over the beans and gently toss to coat. The beans can be refrigerated at this point.
- Before serving, warm them gently on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the oven.
- In a small non-stick skillet, lightly toast the slivered almonds in 1 tbs of melted butter, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.
- Place the warmed beans onto a serving dish and then spoon the toasted almonds over the beans. Use flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to garnish.