Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan [223]
There is no magic in making a dish of plain boiled beans look and taste wonderful. The quality of the olive oil is tremendously important, of course. But it really starts with the beans, how they are chosen and how they are cooked.
How to buy Although they are now available throughout the year, the ones grown locally in spring and summer are still the best. Their color should be a uniform green, either light or dark, but even, without spots or yellowing patches. Their skin should be fresh looking, almost moist, not dull. And the beans should not be a mixed lot, but all of one size, preferably not too thick. If you can, take a bean from the basket and snap it: It should snap sharply and crisply.
How to cook Beans must be cooked long enough to develop a round, nutty, sweet flavor: They should not be overcooked, but not undercooked either. When undercooked, theirs is not the taste of beans, but the raw taste of grass. When boiling beans, you must add salt to the boiling water before dropping in the beans in order to keep their color a bright green. This principle applies to all green vegetables, particularly spinach and Swiss chard. The vegetable does not become salty because virtually all the salt remains dissolved in the water.
Boiling 1 pound of green beans
• Snap both ends off the beans, then soak the beans in a basin of cold water for 10 minutes.
• Bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, which will momentarily slow down the boil. As soon as the water is boiling rapidly again, drop in the drained green beans. When the water returns again to a boil, adjust heat so that it boils at a moderate pace. Cooking times will vary depending on the youth and freshness of the beans. If very young and fresh it may take 6 or 7 minutes; if not, it may take 10 or 12 minutes or even longer. Begin tasting the beans after they have been cooking 6 minutes. Drain when firm, but tender, when they have lost their raw, vegetal taste.
Sautéed Green Beans with Parmesan Cheese
For 6 servings
1 pound fresh, crisp green beans
3 tablespoons butter
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
1. Trim, soak, boil, and drain the green beans as described above.
2. Put the beans and the butter in a skillet and turn on the heat to medium. As the butter melts and begins to foam, turn the beans to coat them well. Add the grated cheese, turning over the beans thoroughly. Taste a bean and correct for salt. Turn them over once or twice again, transfer to a warm platter, and serve at once.
Smothered Green Beans with Carrot Sticks and Mortadella or Ham
For 6 servings
1 pound fresh, young green beans
3 or 4 medium carrots
Salt
¼ pound mortadella OR boiled unsmoked ham, diced into ¼-inch cubes
3 tablespoons butter
1. Trim, soak, boil, and drain the green beans. They will undergo more cooking later in the pan, so drain them when quite firm.
2. Peel the carrots, wash them in cold water, and cut them into sticks slightly thinner than the beans.
3. Choose a saute pan that can accommodate all the ingredients without crowding them. Put in the beans, the carrots, salt, the diced mortadella or ham, and the butter. Turn on the heat to medium and cook, turning the beans and carrots over frequently to coat them well. When the butter begins to foam, cover the pan. Cook until the carrots are just tender, checking after 5 to 6 minutes, and turning them and the beans from time to time. Taste and correct for salt and serve promptly.
Green Beans and Potato Pie, Genoa Style
NOWHERE IN ITALY is the cooking of vegetables raised to greater heights than it is on the Genoese coast. The fragrance and the satisfying depth of flavor that characterize that cuisine is well represented by this savory pie that combines green beans with potatoes, marjoram, and Parmesan. It’s a dish that will fit into any menu scheme, as an appetizer,