The first of my pole beans are in and it's both fun and therapeutic taking the time to search every nook and cranny of these vines to find these tasty and healthful treats. Invariably, I will think that I've hunted every bean down and stumble on another beautiful cluster!
My favorite way to prepare and eat these beans is sauteed in an herb pesto from whatever herbs I have in the garden at that time. If you are interested, here is how I do it. Please know that I'm not an exact measurement chef. I kind of feel my way through so you won't get any exact measurements, but you can get the idea and then experiment with your very own variations on this recipe. I'd love to hear from others regarding their particular preparation of any garden produced vegetable!
1) Pick yourself a good sized handful of fresh Beans.
2) Snap them, rinse them and then place them in a large skillet with about a 1/2 cup of water. Place the heat on high and let the water cook down, slightly blanching the beans to an al dente state.
3) Get about 10 nice fresh leaves of basil, about a table spoon of fresh rosemary, nice tablespoon of fresh tarragon, 1/2 table spoon of oregano (again, just guessing -- i just grab and pluck whatever feels right off the plant) put these along with 3 nice cloves a garlic and two tablespoons of olive oil into a food processor and make your pesto.
4) When the water has almost cooked off, add your pesto keeping your heat high. Stir constantly until the garlic has browned some. Salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and serve. Depending on how well cooked you prefer your beans, you can steam them longer with more water or stir fry them longer.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. There are all kinds of variations, and some not so healthy but still I will indulge by adding a table spoon of bacon fat with the oil, a little butter, now and then.
Cheers!
Mike
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