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What to do with beans (French, runner...)

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What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby herbidacious » Sat Jul 25, 2020 5:56 pm

My freezer is full (I need to do something about this in case I have enough tomatoes to freeze as passata, but in the meantime...) I need to eat beans as they become ready to harvest. French green beans, French violet beans, runner beans (and to a lesser extent, broad beans).

Any veggie friendly ideas that make beans the main thing? (Although sides are of interest too.)

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby WWordsworth » Sat Jul 25, 2020 6:42 pm

Madhur Jeffrey's Gujarati green beans has been a staple of ours for years.
We often have it with sausage and mash; it works with rice and dhal too.

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby scullion » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:02 pm

green bean chutney?

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby jeral » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:17 pm

As a simple side for any veggie burger or veg sausage & dippy egg: French green beans simmered to al dente and finished off in a tom sauce made meanwhile from finely chopped onion sweated in EVOO, tasty toms chopped (or tinned & paste) and reduce, touch of balsamic and S&P to taste Toss in drained beans and simmer lid on for 2-3 mins or until soft enough and tom coats the beans.

I agree about an Indian option as any side dish bhaji like okra (bhindi) or courgette will have spices that suit green beans. Some okra ones here to look at: https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/recipes/bhindi-okra/

As a main dish, butternut squash, green beans, mushrooms in roughly equal ratio (though different roasting times), with extras like red onion or shallot with mild mustard vinaigrette, maybe peanuts or cashews if nut OK. A dollop of mashed spud (EVOO or garlic flavoured), or big Yorks pud or simple pita or naan bread to eat with it.

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Kacey » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:19 pm

Green beans cooked the Greek way with tomatoes, onions, garlic and dill
Green beans, new potatoes, pesto & pasta
Green bean and pea risotto
Green beans with chilli flakes and feta cheese
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... -pea-pilau love all her rice recipes

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:20 pm

Similar but different to jeral's and probably very like kacey's I've been making this (beans with tomato and olive oil) as a Turkish dish for decades, but I think Rachel Roddy's Italian version has the proportions and method right
The beans take a long time to soften in the tomato sauce, so I'd treat the cooking time as a minimum, in fact you can make it with the tough beans you strip off the runner bean plants at the end of the season as long as you cook it very slowly - I often put it in in low oven, covered with them or even use a pressure cooker, don't go by the clock, just bite one.. The basil is optional, the Turks use dried mint, I usually add a good pinch of sugar, And of course you can use canned tomatoes

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... en-in-rome

Edited to add the Turkish version has lemon squeezed over it before serving, when I remember, recommended

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby smitch » Sat Jul 25, 2020 7:33 pm

I quite liked the look of the second recipe on the Guardian website today https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/jul/25/yotam-ottolenghi-recipes-for-summery-green-side-dishes

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby herbidacious » Sat Jul 25, 2020 8:12 pm

Some great ideas. Thanks. It's getting late nothing advntruous tonight. But there will be more beans... (even if my plants all suddenly die!)

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby karadekoolaid » Sat Jul 25, 2020 8:23 pm

I made a recipe for green beans with ginger and sesame paste the other day; can´t find it now, of course, but I´m pretty sure it was a Madhur Jaffrey recipe. Basically, blanch the beans for about 3 minutes then set aside. Fry up some ginger , a clove of garlic, add a chopped green chile and some cumin seeds, then add the beans and a tbsp of ground sesame seeds, with a bit of water. Throw in the beans and a little water, then stir fry until the beans are cooked through.

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby halfateabag » Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:47 pm

I was going to suggest Turkish green beans in a tomato, onion, garlic, paprika sauce. We had them of the gulet - delish !

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Amber » Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:58 pm

Bissara? (sp?)

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Jul 26, 2020 10:16 am

Remind me, if you are actually veggie, or vegan, Herbi?

You might need to do some serious substituting, or more moderate tweaking, but this is one of my favourite salads. I use brandy, whisky, whichever spirit is on my counter.
The best one to use is indeed the Tennessee Jack Daniels.

Change steak for hallumi or tofu should be lovely. It's the marinading in liquor that imparts the best flavour.
Blue cheese, just use a thick veggie cream or creamy fake cheese made with tofu, I think i have a recipe somewhere.

https://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/r ... salad.html

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby herbidacious » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:16 am

Just vegetarian. And not a drinker... :? Could be tricky :)

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:18 am

As the alcohol goes on the meat it's actually easy to eliminate both and just have the salad, though I don't buy tthe recommended trimmed fine green beans, preferring "real veg"

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:35 am

Splutter, it might not be quite the recipe for you, Herbi.

Sue, there's nothing left of trimmed green beans.
Hacked/ dwarf veg more like.

I quite like cutting green beans and runner beans myself, it's one of those jobs in the kitchen I enjoy.
I think it's the smell.

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:41 am

Totally with you, if I make the Turkish beans with older runners I quite enjoy slowly stringing them and cutting into diamonds shaped pieces

It's almost impossible to buy untrimmed mange tout, it really annoys me, it must reduce the shelf life and increase the packaging required and you always have to do it again because 1. it's never done well and 2. the cut edges dry out to little strips of cork that have to be removed

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Seatallan » Sun Jul 26, 2020 1:27 pm

Picallili was the first thing that came to my mind.
Food, felines and fells (in no particular order)

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Suffs » Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:34 pm

Seatallan wrote:Picallili was the first thing that came to my mind.

It was the first thing I thought of too .... but in my life picallili is invariably accompanied by sliced of cold petit salé or pork pies, so I put my thinking cap back on ;)

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby Badger's Mate » Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:58 pm

I'm still working through a batch of piccalilli from 2014, it fair to say that the texture has softened somewhat over the years. That sort of pickle goes perfectly well with cheese as well as porky things, all is not lost. Mind you I once witnessed a couple of friend throw a tantrum because their ploughman's came up with piccalilli rather than pickle.

Green bean are lovely sautéed with toasted almonds, sumac & EVOO, or cold as a salad. Stir fried with garlic. Also Gujerati style as WW mentioned. :thumbsup

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Re: What to do with beans (French, runner...)

Postby jeral » Sun Jul 26, 2020 4:28 pm

Snippets:

Seatallan wrote:Picallili was the first thing that came to my mind.

To go with green beans? A new one on me, although mustard/cauli what's not to like?

Badger's Mate wrote:
Green bean are lovely sautéed with toasted almonds, sumac & EVOO, or cold as a salad. Stir fried with garlic.

Another new one on me. Yet as soon as I read "with toasted almonds", I thought "Yes!". Absolutely no idea why it lit a perfect match light bulb but it did. So, I'll be trying that. (I've got za'atar, tamarind paste and lemon, but no sumac at the moment, isn't it always the way.)

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