Beans
Spicy Stir-Fried Long Beans with Peanuts
From epicurious.com
Serves 4
1 1/2 lb. Chinese long beans
1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (2 1/2 oz.; not cocktail peanuts)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 to 3 small fresh Thai chiles (to taste), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise, then very thinly sliced crosswise (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Garnish: lime wedges
Cook untrimmed beans in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Trim beans and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces.
Meanwhile, pulse peanuts in a food processor until about half of peanuts are finely ground and remainder are in very large pieces (do not grind to a paste).
Stir together soy sauce, chiles, and salt in a small bowl.
Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water dropped onto cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add oil, swirling to coat wok, then add garlic and stir-fry until garlic begins to turn pale golden, about 5 seconds. Add peanuts, and stir-fry until all of mixture is golden, about 30 seconds. Add beans, and stir-fry until hot and well coated, about 2 minutes. Remove wok from heat, then stir in soy sauce mixture and shallot, stirring until shallot has wilted. Drizzle in lime juice and season with salt, then transfer to a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks' notes:
· Beans can be boiled, drained, and patted dry 3 hours ahead. · If you don't have a wok, beans can be cooked in a 12-inch heavy skillet. (They will lack smoky flavor.)
From epicurious.com
Serves 4
1 1/2 lb. Chinese long beans
1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts (2 1/2 oz.; not cocktail peanuts)
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 to 3 small fresh Thai chiles (to taste), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 large shallot, halved lengthwise, then very thinly sliced crosswise (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Garnish: lime wedges
Cook untrimmed beans in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer with tongs to a large bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then drain in a colander and pat dry with paper towels. Trim beans and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces.
Meanwhile, pulse peanuts in a food processor until about half of peanuts are finely ground and remainder are in very large pieces (do not grind to a paste).
Stir together soy sauce, chiles, and salt in a small bowl.
Heat wok over high heat until a bead of water dropped onto cooking surface evaporates immediately. Add oil, swirling to coat wok, then add garlic and stir-fry until garlic begins to turn pale golden, about 5 seconds. Add peanuts, and stir-fry until all of mixture is golden, about 30 seconds. Add beans, and stir-fry until hot and well coated, about 2 minutes. Remove wok from heat, then stir in soy sauce mixture and shallot, stirring until shallot has wilted. Drizzle in lime juice and season with salt, then transfer to a bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooks' notes:
· Beans can be boiled, drained, and patted dry 3 hours ahead. · If you don't have a wok, beans can be cooked in a 12-inch heavy skillet. (They will lack smoky flavor.)
Grilled Beans with Tomatoes, Basil, and Spicy Fish-Sauce
From Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden
Serves 4
“Don’t oil the beans before you grill them – this is one of my core cooking principles: Oiling vegetables before grilling gives them a burned chemical flavor, whereas dry vegetables will caramelize slowly all by themselves, giving you what you want – a sugary, grilled char flavor.”
1 bunch basil
½ bunch mint
1 pound beans
1 bunch scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops)
1/3 cup Spicy Fish-Sauce (below)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
Heat a grill to medium-heat.
While the grill is heating, pick the herbs and leaves the leaves whole. If any of the herbs don’t look pristine, discard them; these herbs are like leaves in a salad.
Once the grill is hot, grill the beans and the scallions directly on the grill grates, unoiled. (Um, make sure you place them perpendicular to the grates.) Grill until the bean and scallions are deeply charred and caramelized and quite tender. (You can also cook the beans in a hot cast-iron skillet in batches until evenly charred, slightly wilted, and tender.)
Take the vegetables off the grill, cut the scallions into shorter lengths, and toss the vegetables in a bowl with the spicy fish-sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle on a glug of olive oil, fold in the tomatoes and herbs, and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning again, adding more spicy fish-sauce if needed to make the salad zingy. Top the beans with the chopped toasted hazelnuts. Serve on the warm side of room temperature.
Spicy Fish-Sauce
¼ cup seeded, deribbed, and minced fresh hot chiles
4 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup fish sauce
¼ cup water
¼ white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Stir everything together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust so you have an intense sweet-salty-sour-hot balance. Ideally, make this a day ahead, then taste and readjust the seasonings on the second day. The chile heat is likely to get stronger. The sauce will keep for a month or two in the fridge.
From Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden
Serves 4
“Don’t oil the beans before you grill them – this is one of my core cooking principles: Oiling vegetables before grilling gives them a burned chemical flavor, whereas dry vegetables will caramelize slowly all by themselves, giving you what you want – a sugary, grilled char flavor.”
1 bunch basil
½ bunch mint
1 pound beans
1 bunch scallions, trimmed (including ½ inch off the green tops)
1/3 cup Spicy Fish-Sauce (below)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
Heat a grill to medium-heat.
While the grill is heating, pick the herbs and leaves the leaves whole. If any of the herbs don’t look pristine, discard them; these herbs are like leaves in a salad.
Once the grill is hot, grill the beans and the scallions directly on the grill grates, unoiled. (Um, make sure you place them perpendicular to the grates.) Grill until the bean and scallions are deeply charred and caramelized and quite tender. (You can also cook the beans in a hot cast-iron skillet in batches until evenly charred, slightly wilted, and tender.)
Take the vegetables off the grill, cut the scallions into shorter lengths, and toss the vegetables in a bowl with the spicy fish-sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle on a glug of olive oil, fold in the tomatoes and herbs, and toss. Taste and adjust the seasoning again, adding more spicy fish-sauce if needed to make the salad zingy. Top the beans with the chopped toasted hazelnuts. Serve on the warm side of room temperature.
Spicy Fish-Sauce
¼ cup seeded, deribbed, and minced fresh hot chiles
4 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup fish sauce
¼ cup water
¼ white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
Stir everything together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust so you have an intense sweet-salty-sour-hot balance. Ideally, make this a day ahead, then taste and readjust the seasonings on the second day. The chile heat is likely to get stronger. The sauce will keep for a month or two in the fridge.
