Haricots Verts (Green Beans) à la Provençale
Serves: 4
A simple salad, refreshing and so typical of the Provence.
Preparation time: 15 min.
Ingredients:
- 500 gr (1 lb) haricots verts or young tender green beans, ends trimmed
- 60 ml (1 cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into thin slivers
- salt and pepper
- 250 gr (1 cup) cherry tomatoes - or use regular tomatoes, seed them and cut into long wedges
- about 12 cured black olives
Preparation:
If you use haricots verts you do not need to parboil them. But if you use young green beans you must parboil them before sautéing. For the uninitiated, parboiling means: plunge the beans into boiling water, bring the water to boil again and drain the beans under cold water. This is a technique very often used with beans, peas and other vegetables, a form of pre-cooking.
Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat. Add the slivered garlic. Just when the garlic begins to sizzle (it must not brown) add the haricots verts. Cook them, stirring slowly, for about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside on a plate.
Add the tomatoes to the pan - if there is not enough olive oil left, add 2 tbsp. Sauté the tomatoes until the skin starts to shrivel. Add salt and pepper. Add the haricots verts and the black olives to the tomatoes in the pan and mix it gently. Taste for salt and pepper and add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
This dish is served warm - not hot. A typical Provençal side dish.