Are you ready for this Christmas? If you are out of ideas or worried that your stove will run out of space, I have an exciting stove top side recipe for you today. I love green beans and already have several green bean side recipes on my blog ( this one and this one ), but I felt the need to come up with another one. One that does not require an oven!
This dish is inspired by two classic concepts – French cuisine beans nuts – an Italian tradition of topping beans with almonds and adding flavored pan grits – piece of bread – For most things to provide the texture they would otherwise lack, this (incidentally green bean) pasta is an example of that.
A tasty topping of seasoned toasted breadcrumbs and toasted almonds is employed here to transform steamy green beans into something more exciting and delicious, and I dare anyone – even those with a deep-seated hatred of vegetables – to ask for seconds…
More about ingredients
Cashew Nuts: Whole, lightly toasted almonds provide a lovely crunch to tender beans. You can use other nuts if you like, hazelnuts would be my second choice, or sunflower seeds if you or one of your companions has a nut allergy.
Breadcrumbs: Coarse breadcrumbs are best here because they provide an interesting and varied texture. I make it by air-drying slices of Turkish pied bread and coarsely grinding them when they are stale.
Lemon: I used a small amount of lemon juice to make a simple lemon dressing to coat the beans and zest to add citrus flavor to the breadcrumb mixture.
Mild Chilli: A small amount of fine chili flakes is a nice touch here. I used a mild Turkish pepper called pul biber, if you want a spicy pepper, Korean gochugaru will work well too. If you don’t want any heat, a smidge of smoked paprika would be a nice addition instead.
Thyme: Fresh thyme leaves add some freshness and flavor to this simple dish. If you want to use raisins, crush them between your fingertips and use sparingly as they are stronger.
Garlic: A touch of garlic is an easy way to deepen the flavor of a breadcrumb mixture. I used a fresh clove, minced, but garlic powder is just as nice.
Nutrition Facts: Nutritional yeast is a staple vegetarian seasoning that adds a cheesy flavor. It’s inactive yeast so don’t worry if the name confuses you – we’re not adding baker’s yeast to anything. If you don’t have it, just skip it.
CAPERS: I love using these pickled flower buds in dishes because they contribute amazing pops of flavor. I became hooked on capers while living in Greece because their locally grown and pickled capers are so flavorful. If you are not a fan, how do you cut green olives?
Green Beans: I used runner beans in this recipe, cut into 1 cm / 0.4 inch strips. If you can use fresh beans of your choice, keep in mind that their cooking time may vary slightly.
Fried breadcrumbs
- 60 g / ½ cup almonds
- 40 ml / 2½ tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 40 g / ¾ cup coarse breadcrumbs (if required)
- 1 large garlic clove, grated (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder)
- ½ teaspoon flaky salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon mild chili flakes (I use pulled pepper), optional
- 2 teaspoons thyme leaves (about 3 sprigs)
- Zest of 1 small lemon
green beans
- 450 g / 15.8 oz runner beans
- 15 ml / 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 15 ml / 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 7 ml / ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained and roughly chopped (optional)
method
Fried breadcrumbs
- Slice the almonds on the diagonal, then place in a dry skillet (a cast iron skillet works well) and toast over low heat until fragrant and charred in places.
- Add half a tablespoon of olive oil, coat the almonds in the oil and season with a few pinches of salt. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Wipe the skillet with a paper towel, then add 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil to the pan.
- When the oil is hot, crumble the breadcrumbs, garlic and salt between your fingers.
- Fry the breadcrumb mixture on low heat until golden, stirring all the time.
- Add nutritional yeast, chili (or smoked paprika!), thyme leaves, lemon zest, and toasted almonds. Mix everything well and switch off the heat. Set aside (away from moisture) until ready to serve.
green beans
- Cut the beans into 1 cm / 0.4 inch pieces on the tail and diagonal.
- Place half the beans in a large steamer over a pot of boiling water. Steam for about 6-7 minutes from the moment the water starts to boil – you want them tender but with some bite.
- Remove the beans from the steamer and steam the other half of the beans for 6-7 minutes. Remove from steamer and set aside.
- Mix olive oil, lemon juice and maple syrup in a small bowl. The season of taste. Just before serving, toss the beans, then top with the chopped capers and toasted breadcrumb mixture.
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Nutritional information
*1 in every 10 servings