In addition to playing athlete quite a bit of the time, I also play cook... which is primarly driven by my love of eating. So this is the first, but certainly not the last, recipe post. This year, I played cook for Thanksgiving. We had a pretty good sized group over to the house, thirteen people including nine adults and four kids.
Everything turned out well, but I received the most compliments on the green bean dish that I prepared…so I am sharing the recipe. It is really easy to prepare, but plan ahead as the dressing takes a day or so for the flavors to fully develop.
To give proper credit, my recipe was adapted from a recipe in Epicurious (an iPad app) and which originally appeared in Bon Appetit magazine. The original recipes used different vinegars, walnuts instead of pecans and cherries instead of cranberries. But I went with what I had on hand and adjusted to my taste.
Green Beans with Pecans and Cranberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For vinaigrette:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup dried cranberries (or Craisins)
1 1/2 lbs trimmed green beans
1/2 cup pecans
Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients, cover and place in refrigerator. It is best to do at least one day ahead.
Toast pecans by spreading out on a baking sheet and placing in a 350 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn.
Bring large pot of water to a rolling boil and add green beans. Prepare large bowl of ice water. Cook green beans for 4-5 minutes and then immediately add to ice water. This will stop cooking and help to intensify the bright green color. Once the beans are chilled, drain and pat dry with paper towels, making sure to remove as much water as possible.
Toss together toasted pecans, cooked green beans and vinaigrette dressing and serve.