Jamie Olivers Best Ever Green Beans Recipes

THE BEST GREEN BEANS EVER

Steps:

• Snap the stem ends of the green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you'd prefer.
• Melt the bacon grease in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add the green beans and cook until the beans turn bright green, about a minute. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat to low and cover the skillet with a lid, leaving the lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook until the liquid evaporates and the beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp, 20 to 30 minutes. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don't be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can start to caramelize.

HUMBLE HOME-COOKED BEANS

Steps:

• Drain the soaked beans, then give them a good wash. Place them in a deep pot and cover them with cold water. Throw in the garlic, herb sprigs, bay leaves, celery stick, potato and tomatoes. Place the beans on the heat and slowly bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on whether you're using fresh or dried, until soft and cooked nicely. Skim if necessary, topping up with boiling water from the kettle if you need to.
• When the beans are cooked, drain them in a colander, reserving enough of the cooking water to cover them halfway up when put back in the pot. Remove the garlic, herbs, celery, potato and tomatoes from the beans. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and pinch the skin off the tomatoes. Put the garlic, tomatoes and potato onto a plate, mash them with a fork and stir back into the beans. Season well with salt and pepper, and pour in 3 generous glugs of extra-virgin olive oil and a few splashes of vinegar. Stir in the parsley and serve on some toasted sourdough bread.
• Take up to 3 scallops and wrap a slice of pancetta round each. Thread them onto a skewer or a sturdy sprig of fresh rosemary and fry them on each side in a little olive oil until golden. Spoon the delicious warm home-cooked beans onto your plate and top with the scallops. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and any juices from the pan. Brilliant!
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TRAY BAKED SALMON WITH OLIVES, GREEN BEANS, ANCHOVIES AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Tail the green beans, blanch them until tender in salted, boiling water, and drain. Put in a bowl with the cherry tomatoes and the stoned olives. Toss in the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Give the salmon fillets a quick wash under the tap and pat dry with kitchen paper towels. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the fillets, on both sides, then season both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Preheat the oven and a roasting tray at the highest temperature. Put your 4 fillets of salmon at 1 end of the roasting tray. Toss the basil into the green beans, olives and tomatoes and place this mixture at the other end of the tray. Lay the anchovies over the green beans. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and serve with lemon quarters.
• This is very tasty with some homemade mayonnaise or aioli.
• Smash up the garlic with the salt in a mortar and pestle (if you don't have a mortar and pestle you can very finely chop the garlic). Place the egg yolk and mustard in a bowl and whisk. Then start to add your olive oil bit by bit. Once you've blended in a half cup of the olive oil you can start to add the rest in larger amounts. When you've added it all, you can add the garlic and lemon (to taste) and any extra flavors such as basil, fennel tops, dill, chopped roast nuts. To finish just season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice. Yield: 8 servings