Description
Ina Garten’s flat beans with pecorino elevate simple summer produce into an elegant side dish. Crisp green beans mingle with salty pecorino, creating a Mediterranean-inspired companion that complements grilled meats or serves as a light lunch for you.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 to 5 oz (113 to 142 g) Pecorino Romano cheese, shaved, aged
- 1.5 lbs (680 g) Romano or flat beans, fresh, trimmed
- 1.5 tbsps olive oil, good quality
- 1.5 tsps sea salt or fleur de sel
- 0.75 tsps black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- Boiling Preparation: Activate a large pot with water, introducing kosher salt to elevate the vegetable’s inherent taste profile.
- Bean Blanching: Immerse trimmed green beans into the effervescent water, executing a precise 3-minute cooking cycle to achieve a crisp-tender brilliance without compromising texture.
- Cooling Technique: Swiftly extract beans using a slotted spoon and transfer to a colander, immediately interrupting the thermal process to preserve their vivacious emerald hue and textural integrity.
- Flavor Enhancement: Artfully arrange blanched beans on a pristine platter, lavishly drizzling extra virgin olive oil to create a glistening, aromatic canvas.
- Seasoning Mastery: Delicately cascade freshly ground black pepper and sea salt across the beans, ensuring a harmonious distribution that accentuates their natural essence.
- Cheese Finale: Tenderly cascade gossamer-thin Pecorino Romano shavings atop the warm beans, allowing the cheese to subtly melt and infuse the dish with a luxurious, tangy dimension.
- Presentation: Serve expeditiously, celebrating the beans’ vibrant temperature and verdant appearance as a sophisticated, elegant side offering.
Notes
- Prevent Overcooking: Blanch beans precisely for 3 minutes to maintain crisp-tender texture and vibrant green color, ensuring they don’t become mushy or lose nutritional value.
- Salt Boost: Add kosher salt to boiling water to enhance the beans’ natural flavor, creating a more depth and seasoning before final plating.
- Cheese Strategy: Use freshly shaved Pecorino Romano to add a rich, salty dimension that slightly melts when sprinkled over warm beans, creating a luxurious finish.
- Olive Oil Technique: Drizzle extra virgin olive oil evenly to coat beans, adding richness and helping seasonings adhere while providing a silky, glossy appearance.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 480 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg