Fairytale French Beans with Sesame Seeds & Garlic
Once upon a time, I came across this particular way with french beans in Evelyn Findlater’s Wholefood Cookery book. It has since become the first thing that I think of making if there are french beans to be had. I could also have been more literal about my title and called this recipe French Beans With Sesame Seeds, Olive Oil, Garlic and Lemon Juice. That would have told you the whole story right there.
You’ll need:
- 450g french beans
- 1 tblsp sesame seeds
- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed
- coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
The Steps:
- Wash the beans and, cutting on the diagonal, slice the beans into pieces roughly 2cm long.
- Steam the beans or boil in salted water for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook – you want the beans to be cooked through but to still retain a bit of crunch.
- Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a small pan over a medium heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently. This should take around 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the olive oil, crushed garlic and lemon juice to the pan with the sesame seeds. Cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, then remove from the heat, season with salt and black pepper and toss with the cooked beans
- Serve as a side dish or warm salad.
The Variations:
- You could make this altogether more Asian by replacing the salt with some soy sauce and the olive oil with toasted sesame oil.
The Results:
- Serves around 4-5 as a side dish