Garlicky Green Beans

Today, I'm sharing with you one of my secret weapons.

These green beans are so good, so tasty, so smack-your-lips amazing, they can heal relationships, inspire love poems, moderate Presidential debates.

They can even get your children to eat their veggies.

I know! It's like having a super hero in your fridge.

It's also fast - it takes less than 20 minutes from start to finish. And it has the ability to make people think you spent a lot of time and energy on it. Even though it's really simple.

Which makes you the super hero, now that I think about it.

Garlicky Green Beans

Recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Desperation Dinners

1 pound fresh green beans

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 cloves fresh garlic

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon crystals

fresh cracked black pepper

Directions: 

1. Wash beans and remove ends.

2. Heat oil and butter on medium in a large skillet. Add beans and stir to coat.

3. Peel and mince garlic. Add to skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until beans turn bright green, 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Add wine and bouillon. Raise heat to medium-high; you want to hear it sizzle. Then reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until beans are crisp-tender. 

5. Season with pepper to taste, and serve.

Tips: 

1. A few words about the beans themselves: If you're making this with green beans from the farmer's market, definitely remove the ends. But lately, I've been making this with haricot verts, the thin French green beans that are so tender, they hardy have any ends to begin with. So I've been skipping the "remove the ends" step. Feel free to do the same.

2. I use a high-sided skillet for this recipe. It makes it so much easier to toss the beans. 

3. Fresh garlic is important to this recipe! Don't use the jarred kind. (Not that I even know what that is. Cough.) But if you don't have time or energy to mince, you can use a garlic press. Just know you'll have to stir more if you use a press, since the garlic will be finer and more prone to burn.

4. Haricot verts cook faster than the times in this recipe. What you're looking for is bright green, tender beans that might have just a bit of char from the bottom of the pan. (Note: Those are the best beans! Do not give them to your children!) 

5. I've heard some people say you can sub soy sauce for the white wine and get more of an Asian garlic green bean. I haven't tried, since I love this recipe so much. But it's worth mentioning.

Originally posted October 2012.