Not truly pickled, these beans are what I call “quickles”. The recipe differs from most of my quickle recipes in that the quickling solution is a vinaigrette instead of the usual vinegar/sugar solution. This dish is great cold, but can be served hot as well.
INGREDIENTS:
12 ounces filet beans, trimmed of stems and wispy tails 1 cup Red Wine Vinegar dressing, or as needed
Dressing:
½ cup red wine vinegar ¼ cup sugar Salt and pepper to taste ¼ teaspoon fresh minced thyme 1½ cups neutral flavored oil such as grape seed or sunflower, or as needed
METHOD:
Put all the dressing ingredients except the oil into a blender. Blend together the ingredients and drizzle the oil into the base in a thin stream. Taste after half the oil is used. The idea is to have a light pleasant tasting dressing for the beans without it tasting like a standard vinaigrette. It should be a little sweet, a little tart, and not really oily. It is okay if the dressing separates. So-add in only as much oil as you need to reach this goal.
While the dressing is being made, bring a volume of water twice as large as the volume of beans to a boil. Salt generously.
Blanch the beans until just tender, around 6-7 minutes.
Drain the beans and place into a non-reactive bowl. Pour the dressing over the beans while they are hot, and add the diced pepper. There should be enough dressing to liberally coat the ingredients.
Allow to cool, tossing occasionally. Refrigerate to chill, and shake off excess dressing when ready to serve. Garnish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds at service.
To serve hot, either dress and serve right away (the beans will not taste very “pickled”) or reheat the beans in a microwave or quickly sauté to heat through.
Chef’s Notes: You can do this recipe with Romano beans also. Cut the Romanos on a ¼-inch angle into 1-inch diamonds, and then proceed as instructed. Be very careful not to overcook the Romanos to avoid them developing that slippery furry seeming skin they get when overcooked.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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