Wax Beans with Mint
Print Options
Every weekend during the summer, if we are lucky, there will be a good supply of wax beans at the farmers market. These golden yellow (and sometimes purple) versions of green beans are harvested young, and are sweet and tender. Here is a simple way to prepare them, with the subtle flavor of a mint infusion.
Wax Beans with Mint Recipe
Print Options
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound wax beans
- Several mint leaves
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Method
1 A little bit ahead of time, crush a few mint leaves (reserve some for garnish) with a mortar and pestle. Put the crushed mint leaves into a small jar and add a couple tablespoons of high quality olive oil to cover. Let sit for at least an hour if you can. The longer the mint is in the olive oil, the better the infusion.
2 Prepare the beans by cutting off and discarding the tips and ends. Snap the beans in half, if necessary, to have pieces about 2 inches in length.
3 15 minutes before serving bring an inch of water in a saucepan to a boil. Place the beans in a steamer basket in the saucepan. Cover and cook, until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Check for doneness after about 8 minutes or so. If a fork easily goes through them, they're done.
4 Remove beans from pan and place them into a serving bowl. Use a strainer to drizzle the mint-infused olive oil over the beans. Sprinkle salt over the beans to taste. (Fleur de sel would work really well with this dish.) Chop up a few more mint leaves to add as garnish.
Serves 3-4.
Never miss a recipe!
Subscribe to Simply Recipes free via email: (more details)
Love this site! It's my first post, and just wanted to say my Italian grandmom ALWAYS used fresh mint when preparing green beans. It's especially delicious when served at room temperature as a salad with some good red wine vinegar. She always used mint in her fresh, homemade iced tea, too.