Thanksgiving has crept up rather quickly this year. Here I was thinking I that I had another two weeks to decide on my Thanksgiving menu but no, the big event is next Thursday – and I haven’t even contemplated how I am going to cook the turkey. Ordinarily I brine a day ahead and then roast but this year I am torn between a recipe I saw in the New York Times for steaming it and Suzanne Goin’s combination of brining and roasting the breast, alongside a turkey leg confit – as you can see, I have some big decisions to make.
So aside from the turkey, there are the sides. My mainstays are a type of potato and a bean – I then do a another vegetable and a salad. I started my bean trial with this recipe – I found it on the Williams Sonoma website and it is simply sublime.
Now, when it comes to bean dishes, I must say I love my beans in miso recipe because it is not only incredibly tasty, it is also healthy. This dish is also full of flavour, just a little more on the decandant side – as anything with eight delicious tablespoons of brown butter would be.
The brown butter and toasted walnuts make a deliciously nutty dressing for green beans, while the wild mushrooms lend an earthy flavour to the dish. And I probably don’t need to say this, but this dish would be perfect with your Thanksgiving bird.
Ingredients
1 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
900 grams/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 shallots, thinly sliced
226 grams/8 ounces wild mushrooms, brushed clean, stemmed and roughly chopped
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside.
In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook until the milk solids start to turn golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the 1 teaspoon salt and season with pepper. Stir in the green beans and walnuts and cook until the beans are warmed through. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Transfer to a warmed serving bowl and serve immediately.
Yield: Serves 10 to 12
Source: Williams Sonoma
© 2012, Michelle. All rights reserved.
