Green Beans with Lemon and Oil

I'm back! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. I had a nice time with my mom and sister up in the Bay Area, and I spent part of Sunday cooking up this lovely feast. We had an early dinner that consisted of sizzling shrimp with garlic, halibut with tomatoes (an Esi creation that unfortunately, I didn't get a very good picture of), these green beans, and the chocolate Valentino which I managed NOT to screw up this time around. One of the best parts of this meal was that it was really delicious, but quite simple to put together. My new goal is to have all my mise en place because I think that was a critical element in me having dinner on the table in less than an hour. I really have to remember to practice that more in my cooking. Anyway, dinner was delicious if I do say so myself. There were lots of nice, fresh spring flavors and everything complemented each other well. I suppose since I didn't get a good picture of the halibut, I am just going to have to make it again so I can share it with you.



Green Beans with Lemon and Oil
(From Gourmet, March 2003)

Makes 4-6 servings

1 pound thin green beans such as haricot verts, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, divided

Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry.

Toss the beans with oil, salt, and pepper to taste then add the lemon juice and half the zest. Serve beans sprinkled with the remaining zest.

Printable Recipe