Simple Green Beans

There are so many ways to cook green vegetables-braise, sauté, blanch, steam... I’ve tried them all. Steaming is supposed to be the method that retains the most nutrients-no dunking in boiling water. This apparently robs fresh green vegetables of their nutrition (or some of it). But I find that steaming doesn’t always make such an appealing vegetable, something is lost, a tad ironic. Blanching is the best way to cook vegetables for taste and

texture, but this requires dunking them in boiling water, which is not so great if you want they’re vitamins and minerals. It’s also a little more time consuming, adding the ice dunk at the end. My way of cooking green beans (and broccoli and asparagus) for an every day meal is very simple and it’s somewhere in between all of the above mentioned methods.

Cooking a meal with multiple dishes is easiest when you prep the vegetable first, set it in a pan to be turned on ten minutes before the meal will finish cooking.

Simple Green Beans

Serves 4

1 lb of green beans-ends removed

Place in a 12-inch frying pan with a tight fitting lid

Add 1/2 cup of water

Add 1/2 tsp of salt

Cook for 7-10 minutes, depending on how crunchy you like your green beans, on medium high. Check after 7 minutes. All of the water may evaporate during this time so be careful to avoid scorching. When they’re cooked, remove from heat. If there is still water in the pan, drain this. Serve with butter and lemon slices.


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