Green Beans

Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), not to be confused with the African Dolichos or Vigna are another gift of South America quickly passed from the Papal table to the European courts. Pope Clement VII created a special envoy in charge of spreading the Andean gift to the rest of the world: Piero Valeriano fulfilled his mission by entrusting the new seeds to Catherine de Medicis as she sailed to marry the heir to the French throne, the future Henri II in 1533. The introduction of this new plant corresponds to a shift in diet from mainly cereals to an increasing vegetable consumption. Behavior changes along as Catherine brings forks to the Royal banquets and plates replace bread slices. Our modern green beans, evolved from the new import, are only a century old. Their birth is also linked to a cultural shift towards ideal thinness. Not only is the French bean an appropriate metaphor for a skinny body, but its high water (90%), mineral (potassium, calcium and magnesium) and vitamin (C, A, E and B) content turns it into a healthy choice. Unfortunately this perfect marriage of esthetics and nutrition is easily broken by poor cooking techniques. Too often cooks are admonished to boil the string beans in a large quantity of salted water for twenty minutes. Although it preserves the bright green color of the vegetable, it also eliminates the vitamins. To preserve both nutritional qualities and color, string beans should be blanched for a few minutes and then stir-fried. If the color is of no importance, it is better to cook the beans in a covered pan with as little water as possible.
The qualifiers used to describe this vegetable are indicative of the many stages it can assume. Rather than favor the skinny (French) beans which spoils fast and may have been harvested far away, go for the freshest and plumpest ones found in your local farmers’ markets or even better in your own garden as cultivation is easy, doesn’t require soil amendment and procures abundant harvest for minimal work. Before cooking, snip off both ends with your fingers and remove any strings attached. The following recipes serve 4 and associate string beans with onion and herbs for a side dish or for use in an end-of-summer lobster salad.

Stir-fried green beans and onions
Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ lbs (700g) green bean
1 onion peeled and sliced
¼ soy sauce
½ cup chives
Salt and pepper

Material:
Saucepan
Colander
Wood spoon

Place a saucepan full of water on the high range of the gas. When it boils, add a tablespoon of salt and the washed and snipped green beans. When the boil resumes, cook for 5 minutes. Drain the beans in the colander.
Place the dried saucepan on the medium to low gas range, add the oil. After about 1 minute, add the onions stirring constantly for about 5 minutes, until they turn golden. Add the beans and soy sauce and cook for another 5 minutes. Taste one bean, if it is too crisp to your taste continue to stir-fry.
Sprinkle the chives on top and serve hot. Beans are delicious along a plate of lamb or pork.

Green beans, tomato and corn lobster salad (One pot lobster salad)
Easy, Preparation and cooking time: 60 minutes*, A little expensive**



Ingredients
For the salad:
1 lbs (500g) string bean
3 ears of corn
3 tomatoes
6 basil leaves
Chives
3 lobsters
For the dressing:
1 shallot
½ cup (125ml) olive oil
1 tablespoon mustard
¼ cup (60ml) lemon juice

Material:
6-quart saucepan and cover
Set of tongues
Grapefruit spoon
Nut cracker
Blender
Salad bowl
Board and paring knife
Pair of scissors

Place the lobsters in the freezer for 30 minutes to anesthetize prior to boiling.
Fill the saucepan three-quarter of the way with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and place on the high range of the gas. When it boils, place the ears of corn in the water. Upon resumption of boiling, count five minutes and remove the corn with the set of tongues. Refresh the corn in cold water and reserve.
Plunge the string beans and tomatoes in the boiling water. Remove the tomatoes when boiling resumes. Refresh under cold water. Peel and seed when cold enough to handle. Cut the tomatoes in small pieces and place in the salad bowl. Count about 10 minutes after the water boils again for the string beans. Remove from the water with tongues and place in the salad bowl along with the tomatoes.
Plunge the lobsters heads first into the boiling water. When the water boils again, count 7 to 10 minutes depending on the lobsters’ size. Refresh under cold water.
Place each ear of corn at a time in the salad bowl. Using the paring knife separate the corn grains from the cob and discard the cob.
Remove the lobster meat from the shells and the legs. Cut in one-inch pieces and add to the content of the salad bowl.
Snip the chives and basil leaves and add to the salad.
Place all the ingredients of the dressing in the blender and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing in the bowl and mix until all the ingredients are well coated. Serve immediately. If eating the lobster salad at a later time, keep the dressing separate.

* The only lengthy part of the recipe is the lobster preparation. To save time buy lobster meat from your fishmonger.
**Shrimps can be substituted for lobster for a considerable gain of time and potential savings. Count 4 pieces per person and cook in the microwave or boil until pink.