While I was at the farmer's market... I came across these beautiful beans that matched my Fairytale Eggplants! I wasn't quite sure if I could use up the whole basket, but when a cute little old man came over to check them out too, we decided to split a basket! It was meant to be!
I'm still not crazy about beans, and these are much larger than the little haricot vert that I like... but the colors and cool name convinced me to give them a try. How can you say no to Dragon Tongue Beans?
The lady at the veggie stand suggested sauteing the beans in a little butter with garlic, salt and pepper.
They do lose their purple colors as they cook... And I really wanted them to be tender, so I think I kind of over cooked them, hence all of the brown-ness...
Taste test!
And, surprise! They kind of tasted like green beans! I think they wouldn't be too bad, but since I over-browned them a bit, that taste was a little overpowering. I still ate what I put on my plate, but I would definitely cook them differently next time.
(FYI, Edamame = Soy Beans)
I LOVE edamame now! (Thank you Jess for making me try it at Hibachi last year!)
It's such a yummy snack, but I always buy it frozen. I haven't found it fresh yet. So imagine my excitement when I recognized it at the local farmers market!
I had no idea it grew like this, but if I would have come across this a year ago, I would have had no clue what it even was! Oh how far I've come in the veggie world... (and still so far to go!)
Two things to note: Fresh edamame is much fuzzier than the frozen... It's a little intimidating, but I built up the nerve to try them anyway.
The other thing: Fresh edamame must be refrigerated! I bought some last week and didn't know that... But this week I asked more questions before I bought it.
I gave these suckers a good bath 3 times before I put them in the steamer. It really helped to get a lot of the fuzz off of them.
Then steam for about 5-6 minutes until bright green... sprinkle with some salt if desired...
And to my delight, it was just as good as the frozen! I think steaming them must have softened the fuzz because I didn't notice it anymore than the frozen kind... And THESE ones were grown by local farmers with no chemicals... Yay! I love knowing where my food comes from and supporting our local farmers! :)
Side note if you haven't seen my earlier edamame post - You don't eat the pod! Well, BK tried, but it's not tasty. You just pop the bean out of the pod with your teeth or fingers and eat the bean inside.
I think I'm going to have to grow some of these in my garden next year!
I tried to keep the recipe simple this week, especially because I tried 2 different types of green beans and wanted to be able to taste the difference if there was one.
And you might be wondering, "Cassie, how have you made it this far in life without eating something as basic as green beans???" Well, I think I've tried them, canned, or mixed in with vegetable soups, but never on their own and fresh, so I'm here to prove myself wrong that hopefully fresh green beans can taste good!
Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-essence-of-emeril/haricots-verts-recipe/index.html
The beans on the left are "french green beans" which I think are the same things as "haricot vert", the beans on the right are regular ol' green beans...
Blanching for a minute or 3... I added the regular green beans a few minutes early since they would need a little longer than the french green beans.
Both types of beans sizzling away together in the saute pan for a few minutes after their ice bath. A little sea salt and fresh cracked pepper really go a long way with lots of veggies!
The vibrant green of these babies just looks fun and healthy too! I know I sound a bit crazy, but it's all good...
So what's the verdict? I went back for seconds! Well, I actually had seconds of the skinny french green beans. They were a little more tender and had a slightly different flavor. Yep, I picked those ones out of the skillet for a second helping. The big ones weren't all bad, but they have this flavor that I associate with what I imagine is a "grassy" or "earthy" flavor and I feel like the rabbits out back would love it... lol... I have quite the imagination when it comes to food if you haven't noticed ;) But those little french green beans? Yum!!!
Side note: Brandon liked them and didn't realize there were even two different kinds! It's all in the pickiness of the eater I guess...
I have to thank my Aunt Mary who suggested I try edamame! I've had it once before at a hibachi grill (and thank you to Jess, who got me to try it at the hibachi grill!) but I've never made it myself. I never seen them fresh in the store, but my aunt told me that they are really good frozen too!
They looked yummy coming out of the oven...
And I gave them a shot...
But they left something to be desired, at least with this recipe. They weren't too bad, but not good enough to make again. The combinations of seasoning must be missing something. I followed some reviews and cooked them a little longer and they were still chewy. Luckily, I still had the pods to try the next night!
You can't get much easier than this. Pop the bag in the microwave, already seasoned with sea salt and you're good to go! No recipe needed.
I let them cool and we snacked on them with our meal. I hear they are good refrigerated as a snack too.
Note: You do NOT eat the pod... I must have forgotten to tell Brandon that part - it's not as edible as the beans. You just bite the pod and slide the beans into your mouth to eat!
And the verdict?? Yum!!! I'll try the shelled version again, but the ones in the pods are such a delicious snack! In this case, simple is definitely better!
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