Haricots verts à l’étouffée (Stewed Green Beans)

A few years back, I was searching for a recipe for Green Beans with a French Twist. That’s when I came upon this recipe on easy-french-food.com. Since then, I’ve made one very small adjustment – the introduction of a clove of pressed garlic. I couldn’t resist. I love garlic in just about everything, especially with stewed or sautéed vegetables.

Most recipes for sautéed green beans call for the beans to be parboiled first in salt water to retain that beautiful green color. While this recipe skips the extra fuss (so you do lose that bright green color), all the flavor of the bean remains. The beauty of this recipe is that  you toss the beans into your sauté pan while still frozen – no fuss, no muss.

Haricots verts à l’étouffée (Stewed Green Beans)  make a wonderful side for dishes such as  Filet de porc à l’ail infusé lait (Pork Tenderloin with Garlic Infused Milk)

Haricots verts à l’étouffée (Stewed Green Beans)
1 pound fresh or frozen green beans (the skinnier the better)
1 good-sized shallot, peeled and sliced paper-thin
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste(a good finishing salt such as a gray or blue sea salt will impart a superior taste – just a few twists of the mill should do it)
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Garlic Clove, pressed

Melt the butter in a sturdy skillet on low medium heat. Add the shallots and pressed garlic, saute for about 1 minute.

Add the green beans, give a few twists of the salt and pepper mills. Toss to coat, cover tightly and allow to cook on low for about 15 minutes.