Herbed green beans and mushrooms

Herbed green beans and mushrooms

Makes about 51⁄2 cups (6 or 7 servings)

When fresh green beans are in season, they’re in such abundance that they overflow farm baskets and supermarket crates. Happily, there’s plenty to do with them. You can stir-fry, boil, steam or even roast them.

Even better, they mix and match nicely with lots of other flavors. Herbs, onions, lemon, garlic, mushroom, nuts and bits of ham, among other ingredients, go well with beans.

In this recipe, I pre-boil the green beans so they’re done just right. Thinly sliced mushrooms are sauteed and flavored with garlic, and the beans are mixed in along with fresh herbs.

Make ahead: The beans need to cool in water for 10 minutes and then air-dry before being added to the mushrooms.

Ingredients

Salt

1 pound green beans, trimmed

11⁄2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for garnish

1 pound button, white, brown or cremini mushrooms, stem ends trimmed, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped garlic (from about 5 cloves)

2 tablespoons chopped chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Steps

Fill a 6-quart pot with water, add a pinch of salt and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Have ready a large bowl of ice water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, until just tender. Immediately drain the beans and transfer them to the ice water. Let the beans cool for 10 minutes, then drain them, cut them into 11⁄2-inch pieces and allow them to air-dry.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and just starting to brown and their liquid has evaporated. Push the mushrooms to the sides and add the remaining 1⁄2 tablespoon of oil to the middle of the pan. Add the garlic and stir it in the oil for a minute or two, until it becomes fragrant, then toss to combine with the mushrooms. Add the green beans; toss to combine and rewarm the beans.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 11⁄2 tablespoons of the chives and 11⁄2 tablespoons of the parsley. Toss to evenly coat the vegetables with the herbs.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the remaining 1⁄2 tablespoon each of chives and parsley. If desired, drizzle a tablespoon of oil over the vegetables to add shine and flavor. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition per serving (based on 7): 60 calories, 3 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar