Friday, January 23, 2009

Green beans with hazelnuts and mint

This is a recipe I came up with to dress up plain old green beans. I started with fresh green beans, which I steamed for a few minutes, until they were tender but still had some bite. You could also blanch the beans. I tossed the warm green beans with a squeeze of meyer lemon juice, a drizzle of hazelnut oil, salt, and pepper. I know that nut oils are expensive, but like truffle oil, a little goes a long way. If you store them in the fridge, they last forever. As a finishing touch, I added a handful of chopped, toasted hazelnuts and a few torn mint leaves. You don't want a strong mint flavor to the dish, so use your mint sparingly. I think parsley or chives would also be a nice touch.
What's your favorite way to cook green beans?



43 comments:

Dewi said...

Sara, I just finished cooking for dinner. And I made green bean and butternut squash massamun curry. Can't eat it yet, have to wait for my husband, my sister, and my son to come home. I am starving!
Next time I'll try this recipe with hazelnut and mints. Sounds like match made in heaven. I know for sure that my husband going to like it. He is hazelnut addict.
Cheers,
Elra

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

Looks really good. I usually cook the green beans with onions, and serve with a dash of butter and salt on top.

Jennifer said...

Sarah that looks incredible, I eat alot of green beans as they are low in carbs, but this is over the top, I must try. I just steam them I am boring!

Caroline said...

Yum, I love Meyer Lemons. I've got a great recipe from Heidi Swanson, Vibrant Tasty Green Beans, that is beyond fabulous!

Unknown said...

Your green beans look gorgeous. I like my beans the good-ole-fashioned way, cooked with a bunch of bacon or ham hocks, and butter. That is how I like them, but we just eat them steamed with a touch of butter and some low sodium ham flavoring.

Thanks for your tip on the soup! That is a good one for brunch.

NKP said...

I love green beens, lightly steamed and tossed with minced garlic, olive oil or butter, and lemon juice, salt and pepper.
I love your hazelnut idea though, I will give that a try!

Unknown said...

wow, this is something different... :)

Donna-FFW said...

Am always looking for new vegetable recipes. This one looks great with the hazelnuts. My favorite way to have them is a recipe I recieved from a co-worker of mine. You use fresh basil, crushed or stewed tomatoes, sauteed onion. The flavors are so on target, and its different. Thanks for the idea of hazelnuts and mint!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Mmm, classic!!

amycaseycooks said...

We have been having green beans with many dinners lately. My favorite way to serve them is to toss the beans with olive oil, salt and pepper, and a little garlic powder and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes. They caramelize and taste great.

Rosie Hawthorne said...

I love green beans and that looks really good. You should try them fried some time for a change. Mr. Hawthorne and I love them battered and fried, then sprinkled with salt, pepper, and cayenne when they come out of the oil.

Hayley said...

I usually just steam my green beans for a few minutes, but this sounds so much more tasty. Thanks for sharing!

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

Hazelnuts and green beans...interesting! I am gam efor it. :)

thanks for stopping by and I promise you will find more persimmon recipes. :p

Cathy said...

oooh - I'll have to try that! I have just about every oil you can think of cluttering my fridge :) I usually just roast the green beans with chopped garlic, but I think I like the looks of yours better.

test it comm said...

That is a nice way to enjoy some green beans.

Anonymous said...

wonderful recipe. but, try this if you want too - it just makes the beans taste SOOOO much better (to me, at least) than steaming it. put it in a hot pan a small teense of olive oil and saute your green beans for a few minutes. towards the very end, add your hazelnuts to toast them for a minute. the beans get a bit carmelized and brown, while still saying crispy and by quickly toasting the hazelnut you get a more intense flavor. then toss it in a bowl w/ all your other ingredients. you'll just have a bit of a kicked-up version. but you're prob. trying to be a bit healthier by steaming. a 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil is the only extra fat, so you don't have to feel that guilty.

Anonymous said...

I have to admit that I've never made green beans! Yours look gorgeous with those hazelnuts - I should really give it a try :)

Reeni said...

I've been seeing mint used in a lot of savory dishes. I have never used it that way! Something new for me to try, they look delicious!! I can eat green beans, as is!! I love them. I sometimes saute them with bacon and garlic when I'm feeling indulgent.

Anonymous said...

I love green beans all ways, lol :)

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Healthy, tasty and delicious! A wonderful side dish!

Cheers,

Rosa

CookiePie said...

What an interesting pairing - I'll have to try that! Usually I just roast them with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, or saute them.

Cathy said...

The addition of mint and hazelnuts is brilliant. Can't wait to try it.

I live in hazelnut country and am always looking for new ways to incorporate them into recipes.

Pearl said...

mmm looks delish! my mom usually just dry pan-fry them (no oil) until they're almost burnt to a crisp. they're then coated by this delish smokey flavor but inside is still green-beanish :).

Jan said...

They look lovely. I have never had or seen hazelnut oil, but that's what I get for living in the back of beyond.

I like green beens steamed, and tossed with a little butter and dill, I might also throw in a few slivered almonds for a bit of a crunch.

I once lived in the SF Bay Area, in a little place called Benicia, do you know it?

Anonymous said...

This looks down right lovely.. you are very creative to match Hazelnuts, mint with Green Beans. YUM! Did you add any sauce? Or dressing?

This looks Lovely.. Green beans naked (I mean steamed) hehe

Sara said...

Thanks for the ideas everyone! I've never roasted green beans before, but I roast pretty much every other vegetable, so I'll have to give it a try.

Girl Japan - I just did a simple dressing of lemon juice, hazelnut oil, salt and pepper.

veggie belly said...

I love vegetables with nuts, this looks great! I usually saute beans with some cumin seeds, curry leaves and coconut.

Lori Lynn said...

Hi Sara - those sound really really good! I like the touch of mint.

Just made some green beans today, with a creamy tofu sauce, it tastes better than it sounds. If the photo came out OK I'll post it on my blog. And if you like green beans, check out Charlotte's slow cooked green beans. Her blog is The Great Vegetable Challenge. I just read about them there and they sounded awesome too.

LL

priscilla joy said...

My favorite way is to cook them with eggs. We always get the sliced green beans and saute them with butter and then cook with the eggs. Yum. Your green beans look very delicious!

Tyler said...

yum! i love green beans roasted in the oven with olive oil and kosher salt...this is the way i like to cook pretty much all my veggies :)

your idea is more creative. i will have to try that out!

Sig said...

I am loving this recipe. I love green beans with nuts, I posted a green beans recipe with a almond-garlic-chile-honey paste in my blog a while ago. I have to try your way next.

The Blonde Duck said...

Bacon and spices, baby. This looks great!

Anonymous said...

My favorite is a green bean salad with creamy horseradish dressing : prepared horseradish, mustard, sour cream, oil and seasonings. I've been craving this lately; should do it for my blog. Hmmm...thanks for the nudge!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

What an interesting combo for the greens beans. I bet they were amazing. I've gotten addicted to a sauceI found for greens beens and it's my favorite for the time being.

Robin said...

Ooh now I have never had mint with my green bean so I will have to try it. I like my great beans stir fried with soy sauce, garlic, PB, pinch brown sugar, and a drop of hot sauce, very Asian tasting that way.

Andrea said...

This looks amazing!! I love nut oils, and you're right, a little goes a long way, but they do wonders for flavor. Great recipe!

Unknown said...

Sara, those look delicious. I'm a big hazelnut fan, so I will definitely try those.

My favorite way to serve green beans is to blanch them and then toss with caramelized shallots.

Maris said...

What a great way to dress up a simple recipe! I love the idea of hazlenuts in a savory dish but never tried it.

grace said...

i haven't tried green beans with mint OR nuts, but i like the idea of it! my favorite way to eat beans is boiled with ham hock and potatoes. deeeelightful, and even better the next day. :)

Usha said...

Very intriguing idea to pair up green beans with mint AND hazelnuts...looks yum !

Maria said...

Interesting flavors with green beans! I LOVE it though!

Passionate Eater said...

What an incredible combo, I usually just make plain blanched green beans, but this is a great inspiration!

Annie said...

I love this recipe.
I usually make green bean almondine. My secret is to add a little almond extract. I can eat a whole pound (and have) :D