Braised Green Beans With Potatoes and Basil

Amarante

Sun, Jan 31 2021, 11:51 am

I love string beans and have monkeyed around with making the classic Greek version with tomato sauce but they were never quite what I was looking for until I found this recipe - so delicious and the tip about the baking soda really did produce a great end product. With the potatoes, it was a complete side and is perfect accompaniment to a simple meat or chicken or even fish.

Braised Green Beans With Potatoes and Basil

Excerpt From: America's Test Kitchen - Cook It in Your Dutch Oven

SERVES 6 TOTAL TIME 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Unlike crisp-tender green beans that have been steamed or sautéed, Greece’s traditional braised green beans boast a uniquely soft, velvety texture without being mushy. Unfortunately, achieving this can require upwards of 2 hours of simmering. To get ultra-tender braised green beans with less cooking time, we first simmered them with a pinch of baking soda to weaken their cell walls. Once the beans were partially softened, we stirred in canned diced tomatoes to add sweet flavor; their acid also neutralized the baking soda and prevented the beans from over-softening. The beans turned meltingly tender after less than an hour in a low oven. Sautéed garlic and onion plus some lemon juice, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil delivered bright flavor and richness. Finally, to make the dish more substantial, we added chunks of potatoes; 1-inch pieces turned tender in the same amount of time as the beans.

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
4 garlic cloves, minced
1½ cups water
1½ pounds green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Lemon juice

1 Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, green beans, potatoes, and baking soda, bring to simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

2 Stir in tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until sauce is slightly thickened and green beans can be cut easily with side of fork, 40 to 50 minutes.

3 Remove pot from oven. Stir in basil and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Transfer green beans to serving bowl and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Serve.