Monday, July 25, 2011

Quick Dish Idea Beacuse They're Everywhere: Green Bean And Avocado

I actually have no recollection whatsoever about how this dish came about at Stroh's but we used to have it in the case often. I think it evolved because there was a time when I was putting Avocados into everything to see if the combinations worked or not. Fortunately this one worked !  I preferred to use Haricot Vert's, which are the more slender green beans, but if you can find some younger tender regular green beans, they will work just as well. Only four ingredients besides the salt and pepper are needed for this and they are green beans, ripe but not mushy avocado's, lemons for juice, and extra virgin olive oil.

To begin:
You will need to blanch the green beans in boiling water for a few minutes until they are just tender. After they are tender immediately strain them and drop them into an ice bath to stop the cooking process and keep them nice and green. If you don't have enough ice to make an ice bath than you can use the spray nozzle on your sink and toss the beans under cold water until they are cool to the touch.
Once the cooked beans have completely cooled, begin to peel a couple of avocados. Cut the avocados in half, remove the seed and dice in small cubes. Add the avocado to the green beans and squeeze the juice of two or three lemons on to the green beans and avocado. Gently fold the avocado into the green beans trying not to smash up the avocado too much. At this point you can add the olive oil to the mixture. As a rule of thumb, add just enough so that when the dish sits you won't collect any excess oil at the bottom. Also add Kosher salt and pepper to season.
As always, give it a taste to make sure everything is all right and make any needed adjustments.
green bean and avocado salad makes a great side dish or salad to bring to a picnic or party. You can keep it in the fridge overnight if you want to make it ahead of time. Just remember to use plenty of lemon juice. Not only for seasoning, but to keep the avocados from turning brown !
I hope you enjoy !

1 comment:

  1. This is a very interesting version of a Tuna Nicoise, a classic french dish. Tuna, olives, usually potatos, haricot vert...I've never heard of it being served with avocados though, it seems like a good update to make it more summery. Sounds delicious!

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