Haricots Verts

Haricots verts are French green beans. You might see both in your grocery store and say, "Um, aren't these the same?" Well, yes and no. They taste pretty much the same but French beans are a bit thinner and longer than the American kind (kind of a parallel with the people too, no?). I personally like French beans a bit more than the American ones because it takes less cooking time to get them tender and they cook more evenly. Sometimes American beans will still be crunchy in the middle.

These would also be lovely with the steak from Monday's post, or any steak for that matter, or chicken or fish or pork chops; the list could go on for (almost) ever.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb haricots verts
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt

I haven't seen bulk French beans v. often but I do see these bagged ones next to the regular bagged green beans all the time. I like the pre-trimmed kind because it's a time saver.

Sometimes, if I'm not being a big lazy bum, I'll trim off the little pointy ends too. Nothing wrong with eating them, I just don't like them that much because I think they're ugly. Boil a pot of water, salt it, and then dump in the beans for 30 seconds. Drain immediately.

Plate the beans, add a pat of butter, and sprinkle on some salt. Give them a little toss before you serve and that's it.

Here's the recipe page: