In this recipe I blanched the green beans rapidly, then sautéed them with shallots.

I like the blanching process because it is the best way to preserve the natural color and a way to control the crunchiness of the vegetables; I personally like my green beans firm and not too soft with fading color.

INGREDIENTS:

½ pound fresh green beans trimmed

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 clove of garlic crushed

Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

1 medium shallots thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Fried Shallots for garnish

STEPS:

Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it generously as well as have a large bowl of ice water ready to go (this later will help keeping the green color and stop the cooking process).

Cook the green beans for 3 minutes (make sure they are still crunchy) and lift them with a strainer and immediately plunge them into the ice water.

Meanwhile, add butter and garlic to a sautéed pan over medium high heat and cook for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the green beans and start for about 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and add freshly chopped parsley.

Garnish with crispy shallots.

Serve with as a side dish or with your favorite sauce.