Sides on the side

I wanted to bring you more side dishes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with the traditional stuff, believe you me, but sometimes change is good. At the very least, you should explore your possibilities. I’m just sayin’.

Let’s talk green beans. I love me some of that creamy green bean casserole. I look forward to it every year. But here are a couple of other ways to have the green things, and to make it even better, these can be made ahead. AND, they got that sabor latino going on. As a matter of fact, they’re improved by resting.

I’ll start you off with an adaptation of Rick Bayless’ recipe for Jalapeños en Escabeche. This one definitely needs to be made at least 1 day before you need to serve it. This will allow the vinegar to mellow and all the flavors to mellow.

Green Beans and Carrots Escabeche (Pickled Green Beans and Carrots)
adapted from Rick Bayless’ Mexico One Plate at a Time

1/3 cp oil (I combined extra virgin olive & vegetable)
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cps baby carrots
2 cps fresh green beans
4-8 serrano peppers, whole
1-1/2 cps cider vinegar
3 bay leaves
1 tsp Herbs d’Provence
1 tsp dry lavender
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Sugar

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, then add the garlic. Allow the garlic to cook for about 3 minutes, making sure to turn them occasionally so they don’t turn brown. Next, add the carrots, green beans (I cut the beans to 2-inch pieces) and peppers. Keep stirring to coat the veggies and allow them to begin softening for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the vinegar, bay leaves, Herbs d’Provence, lavender, about 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tsp sugar, ground pepper and about 1-1/2 cps water. Allow it to come to a soft simmer, before loosely covering the pot. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Allow it cool before transferring to a non-aluminum container to refrigerate overnight.

As long as you keep them chilled, these will keep for well over a month.

Next, we are revisiting the Mojo. No, not the Austin Powers mojo, but Mojo Criollo. A few weeks ago I shared a recipe to use on yuca or potatoes. This time we’re following the basic recipe and adding some onions. Check it out.

Green Beans with Mojo Criollo

2/3 cp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cp red onions, sliced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp white vinegar
Sea salt
1 tsp sugar
Fresh green beans, trimmed & blanched

To blanch the green beans: bring a pot of salted water to a boil, drop the green beans in the boiling water and allow them to cook for about 3-4 minutes. Drain and plunge the green beans in ice-cold water. This will stop them from cooking and will preserve the pretty green color.

Next, prepare the mojo. Heat up a small pan over medium temperature and add the minced garlic, make sure to stir it constantly to avoid burning it, about 1-2 minutes. Add the onions and cook until softened.

Once the onions have softened, add the lime juice and vinegar. Stir until well blended, then season with a bit of salt, black pepper and sugar. Allow it to cook for about 5 minutes over medium low temperature. Add the green beans and remove it from the heat.

You’re done. This one will work if made a day in advance. You can make the mojo the day before, then blanch the green beans just before serving. Or, you can make the whole thing the day before and just reheat when it’s dinner time.

For more food porn shots, click the link.
Cookingly yours,
Anamaris