Here’s a quick, fairly healthy but totally irresistible side dish for you, Lemon Green Beans, though the name doesn’t really cover the load. I found this recipe about two years ago, in an ancient Italian cook book, one I took with from home with me when I moved into my 1st apartment. The original recipe only had the lemon, garlic and oil in it. Suffice to say I tweaked it like crazy!

I have a thing for all-round side dishes. You know those dishes that go with anything, from meat to fish and everything in-between? This is one of them. Takes hardly any time to whip up but it’s so good. It tastes like summer to me! Fresh, crispy and slightly tangy with a lovely saltness coming from the Parmesan.

I can’t stop eating them and, surprisingly enough, neither can my son. Hope you like them as much as we do.

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans
1/3 grated large shallot
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp lemon juice
lemon zest
1 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
Parmesan curls
pepper
salt


Directions:

Clean up your beans and trim the ends. Boil them in lightly salted water until bite-tender, this will take 10 to 12 minutes. You really want a bit of bite to them. This was a little over a pound.

Grate a bit of lemon zest—not enough to be overpowering, just to add some freshness and zing—and grate the garlic. Put it in a big salad bowl.

Technically you could finely mince the shallot, but I prefer to grate it as well. It blends in that way.

Squeeze in some fresh lemon juice, about a tbsp or two.

Add a good quality olive oil to that. Whether or not you use EVOO depends on your palate.

I was about the add the white wine vinegar when it dawned on me Byron had sent me Unca Duke’s Geaux Jus. Oh boy, it worked like a charm. It’s a honey infused balsamic vinegar with different kind of peppers and garlic. So sooo good. No, I’m not being paid to say this!

Combine the liquids with the dried oregano and parsley.

Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and whisk.

Drain the green beans and quickly rinse them under cold water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process and keep them green, but don’t cool them off completely.

Add them to the vinaigrette and toss them around a bit. Make sure all beans get coated.

Add Parmesan curls or grated Parmesan. Use the good stuff, though! These are so simple but so flavorful. They go with anything, but work especially well with chicken and white fish.

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