There is always the dilemma about what to serve around Holiday time along with all the rich casseroles. You want to serve something green, but that is usually in casserole form too. Then there is the problem of too many sides that need to go in the oven.
Here is a recipe for a crisp and bright green bean salad you can make ahead and serve at room temperature.
PROBLEM SOLVED!
1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans, ends trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
8 oz of MapleBrook Farm feta cheese, crumbled(more about that later)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup Marcona or toasted slivered almonds
Zest of 1 lemon and juice of 1/2 that lemon
1 small shallot or 1/4 onion super thinly sliced
1 small shallot or 1/4 onion super thinly sliced
2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Champagne vinegar
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Blanch the beans for 2 minutes in salted boiling water until they are crisp/tender, do NOT overcook them.Take them out of the hot water right away and put them into a bowl of ice water. Once cooled, drain them on a paper towel and set aside in a bowl.
Shave the shallot or onion on a mandolin and add them to the beans. If you don't own a mandolin, slice them as thinly as possible. Here is a link to buying a mandolin on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Double-edged-Slicer
Add the feta, lemon zest and juice,olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss all together to combine.
Just before serving, put the almonds in and toss one more time.
The lemon is a key ingredient so make sure to put that on your shopping list.
Generally, I am not a fan of feta, but this brand is made from cow's milk and is not salty. It is sweet and creamy and only slightly crumbly.
Here is the link to that wonderful cheese!
http://maplebrookvt.com
I will go into more depth about this farm on another day. It deserves it's own page!
Marcona almonds are sweeter and more crunchy than regular almonds. You can buy them at Trader Joe's, Costco and on-line.
http://www.nuts.com
Blanch the beans for 2 minutes in salted boiling water until they are crisp/tender, do NOT overcook them.Take them out of the hot water right away and put them into a bowl of ice water. Once cooled, drain them on a paper towel and set aside in a bowl.
Shave the shallot or onion on a mandolin and add them to the beans. If you don't own a mandolin, slice them as thinly as possible. Here is a link to buying a mandolin on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Kyocera-Double-edged-Slicer
Add the feta, lemon zest and juice,olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss all together to combine.
Just before serving, put the almonds in and toss one more time.
The lemon is a key ingredient so make sure to put that on your shopping list.
Generally, I am not a fan of feta, but this brand is made from cow's milk and is not salty. It is sweet and creamy and only slightly crumbly.
Here is the link to that wonderful cheese!
http://maplebrookvt.com
I will go into more depth about this farm on another day. It deserves it's own page!
Marcona almonds are sweeter and more crunchy than regular almonds. You can buy them at Trader Joe's, Costco and on-line.
http://www.nuts.com
Yummy and crunchy. The lemon makes it!
ReplyDeleteThis salad is so delicious and different. Thanks for the recipe.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, I am addicted to it! I just bought some Haricot Verts which are more slender green beans and I am going to make it with them too.
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