Garlic and Herb Marinated Green Beans

One of my favorite foods, green beans are wonderful to cook with for both their appearance and taste. One of the few beans eaten fresh, green beans are picked immature, while their inner beans are newly formed. Most of the beans commonly eaten fresh were first cultivated in South America thousands of years ago. Green beans are a great choice for many dishes as they have a delicate flavor yet can hold up well to different preparations. Green beans are excellent with celeriac purée and feta roasted potatoes.

Most fresh herbs may be used as a substitute for parsley and oregano. More garlic may be used depending on personal preference and/or size of cloves.

1 lb green beans, trimmed

1 red pepper, trimmed and julienned into 1-2 inch strips

1 medium carrot, trimmed and julienned into 1-2 inch strips

¼ c parsley, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, which will remain boiling and be used to blanch all the vegetables. Working in batches, blanch each vegetable until tender (2-3 minutes for green beans, 2-3 minutes for carrots, 1-2 minutes for red pepper). Remove each vegetable from the boiling water and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Gently dry the vegetables using a clean towel, place them all in a large mixing bowl and set them aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet. Once heated, remove the oil from heat, add garlic and herbs, stir to combine and allow to cook away from heat for 1 minute.

3. Combine herbs and garlic with vegetables in large mixing bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently toss, cover and marinate for at least two hours. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled depending on preference.

Serves 3-4