Italian String Beans with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
I cooked a lot of Italian dishes this week from some of the cookbooks I bought recently, and as I was already doing the string beans from Mario Batali’s Babbo Cookbook, I decided to also do the string beans from one of Biba Caggiano’s books, and compare the flavors. The two recipes are very similar; Mario’s is a little on the spicy side, with chili flakes in the soffrito, while Biba’s is sweeter, with sun-dried tomatoes in the mix. Both recipes use anchovies and garlic, which together give a deep, Italian flavor to the green beans.
Heat & Knives
The Recipe
Source: From Biba’s Italian Kitchen
1 ½ pounds green beans, the smallest you can find
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 anchovy fillets, chopped
1 tablespoon minced sun-dried tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Snap off both ends of the beans and wash them under cold running water. Bring a medium-size saucepan half full of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the beans and cook, uncovered, until tender but still a bit crunchy, 2 to 4 minutes, depending on size. Drain and immediately plunge the beans in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and to set their green color. Drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, anchovies, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir for about 1 minute, making sure not to let the garlic turn too dark. Add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, and stir just long enough to heat the beans through, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.
June 25th, 2010 at 12:38 am
Hi David! Love your website!
Got a question – I don’t like anchovies so if I remove that, would I still get a pretty decent flavor on the spring beans? Can you suggest a vegetarian alternative to replace those anchovies, perhaps?
July 7th, 2010 at 7:22 am
Hi Lee Ann! Thanks for visiting the site. The anchovies are not essential to the dish, they’re just used as a seasoning as they add a salty, briny flavor. Maybe use olives instead, to get a different type of brininess. Or add some chile or chile flakes to give it some heat instead.