Green Beans

Green beans are one of the most popular veggies in our household...but some preparations are more well received than others! I found a new way to do green beans in Jamie's new cookbook and decided to try it out last week. It was a hit! 2 out of 3 kids asked for seconds and the 3rd ate the first helping with no complaints! Awesome accompaniment to a pasta dish!

Best Ever French Beans

serves 4-6

Line up 1 1/4 pounds of French or other green beans on a chopping board. Cut off the stalks, leaving the wispy ends as they are - they look nice! Put the beans into a large saucepan of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook for about 6 minutes. Try one - if it's soft and not squeaky when you eat it, they're done. Drain them in a colander; reserving some of the cooking water, and set them aside to steam dry. Peel and slice 3 cloves of garlic. Finely grate 1 1/2 cups of Parmesan cheese. Put the pan back on the heat, add a good lug of extra virgin olive oil and the sliced garlic, and give it a stir. When the garlic starts to turn golden, add the beans and jiggle the pan around to coat them in the garlicky oil. Add a ladleful of the reserved cooking water, the Parmesan, and the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Stir and simmer until the water and cheese start to form on oozy, sticky sauce, then remove from the heat and serve immediately.