Warm Green Beans with Butter and Italian Parsley

Fresh green beans scream summer to me and there are so many varieties. Snap beans, string beans, haricots verts, and wax beans are some of the varieties you might see.We are going to use haricots verts, sometimes called French beans, for our recipes because they are small, tender, flavorful and cook quickly.
Recipe

• 1 1/2 pound haricots verts, stems removed
• 3 oz unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 2oz fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper

Blanch green beans in rapidly boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes until they are just tender. Drain the beans and place in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and toss the beans until the butter is melted and the beans are coated. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. Toss some more. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Technique

Blanching green beans properly requires at least 8 quarts of water with a cup of salt in it. The water needs to be rapidly boiling and to continue boiling when you add the beans, so it is good to do them in small batches. Depending on the size of the beans it will take around 3-7 minutes for them to cook. Starting around the 3-minute mark, test a bean every minute to see if it is tender. When they are tender, take the beans out and plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Tip

Try to choose the freshest green beans with a diameter of 1/4 inch or less. They will be more tender and have a sweeter flavor. The smaller, fresher beans will also cook faster.

Presentation

Choose a bowl that is a warmer color, like red or yellow, to showcase the vibrant color of the green beans.

Appreciation

Green beans should not be crunchy or have a raw flavor. They should also not be mushy and drab. When cooked perfectly, the beans are tender and yielding and pack a wallop of fresh bean flavor that is subtly accented by the butter and parsley.