Fresh Green Bean Salad

A Photo Tutorial on
How To Cook Fresh Beans To Perfection

The key to a fresh green bean salad is cooking them only just sufficiently so they retain their crunch, and a high contrast in colors.

Just look at the vibrancy of the green beans and the red from the beetroot relish.

You'll need for this salad:

• 1 pound/500gm fresh green beans
  
  
• 1 can/15 oz/420 gm Five Bean Mix
  
  
• 4 heaped tablespoons of beetroot relish
  
  
• 2 tbs herbed oils
  
  
• 1 lemon

Ingredients: Here are the everyday ingredients for this wonderful green bean salad. Firstly top and tail the green beans, rinse thoroughly to clean.

Prepare the Fresh Green Bean Into a large pot, ideally 6 quart sized, pour in boiling water and keep the heat on high.  Add a pinch of salt. Toss in the prepared green beans. It will only take a few minutes, as soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pot from the heat.

Freshen: Check that the vegetables are cooked and if it needs a little longer, put them back to cook. The objective is to have them cooked, but still crunchy, Immediately, drain away the hot water, and freshen with cold running water. This stops them continuing to cook internally and going soft. Drain and place on the serving platter.

5 Bean Mix Open the can of 5 Bean Mix and drain away all the liquid. Substitute with your favorite bean, ideally a bean that is white in color for high contrast such as chick peas or white bean See how the can is opened just slightly.  Tip it with the opening facing downwards into the sink and drain away the fluid. Empty the bean contents over the greens on the serving platter.

Beetroot Relish You will have made this earlier. Spoon over 4 heaped tablespoons of relish over the salad.

Dressing Squeeze over the juice of the lemon.  Drizzle over herbed olive oil. I like to use garlic oil for this salad. Serve the fresh green bean salad immediately. Enjoy!

Tips For A Fresh Green Bean Salad

• Cooking the green bean - the objective is not to cook them but to blanch. That means cooking them quickly in boiling water so that they're softened and cooked only a little but still retains crunch and bite.
  
  
• The key to a successful green bean salad is cooking the bean just right.
  
  
• Freshening - As it is important to cook the green bean perfectly, as soon as you determine the crunch vs cooked bean is right for your palate, stop the internal cooking by running cold water over the cooked beans.  Firstly drain away the boiling liquid and fill rapidly with cold running water. Do this a couple of times till the vegetables are cold.
  
  
• Drain away fluid from the can. Follow the picture above. Open the can just a little to allow the liquid to run away.
  
  
• Beetroot relish is so incredibly easy to do.  Click on the link to discover how. Beetroot adds a subtle but tangy contrast to the flavor of this salad.
  
  
• Herbed oils - Here's another ingredient that is so easy to prepare and worth doing as it adds depth of flavor to your salads and meals.  Into a small jar, put in your favorite herb. I use rosemary as this grows in pots on my verandah. Pour over premium olive oil.  Allow to steep for some weeks. Do the same with garlic pieces and the oil is deliciously flavored.
  

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