I realized as I was perusing my past recipes that I haven’t posted many side dishes. For today’s recipe, I’ve made Garlic Pole Beans in an effort to fill in that gap. Our weeknight dinners typically consist of some form of protein, such as pork tenderloin, some form of beef, fish, or chicken, and a couple of vegetables. Green beans make the rotation as a side dish at least once every couple of weeks, and this recipe is my favorite preparation.
Pole beans get their name because they grow as a vine and climb a pole or stake as they mature. These beans are broader and flatter in appearance than regular green beans. I love the texture and flavor of these beans, and they’re my preference if I can find them. I’ve been fortunate this summer to find delicious pole beans at our neighborhood organic farmer’s market.
You’ve probably read my description before of the old school method of cooking vegetables in the South. Southern cooks from my childhood prepared green beans with some form of pork and cooked them long enough to lose most of their color and texture. Although this preparation takes me back to my roots and serves as a comfort food, I much prefer green beans that still have some color and a little crunch.
The technique I use in this recipe results in perfectly cooked and flavorful green beans. I blanch the beans in salted water for four to five minutes and then shock them in an ice bath. Just before serving, I saute garlic and the beans in butter with salt and pepper. So simple, yet delicious.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds pole beans (string beans can be substituted), stem end snapped off
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch beans for 4 to 5 minutes until they are still bright green but slightly tender. Don't over cook as you'll want them to still be a little crunchy.
2. Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Drain beans and place in ice bath to stop them from cooking. When completely cooled, remove beans from water and drain well. If you're preparing them ahead of time, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Transfer garlic to skillet and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer beans to skillet and toss with tongs. Continue tossing until beans are warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately
https://southernboydishes.com/2014/07/22/garlic-pole-beans/You may also like:
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Love this!! We just harvested fresh garlic! Picked polebeans yesterday! Fresh and delicious! ๐
Oh yes – the southern way to cook vegetables – cook until you have no idea what’s in the pot. ๐ About the only thing that my mother didn’t overcook were green beans. Her beans were actually really good and very simple much like this recipe; however, there was bacon. ๐ One really doesn’t need any more than what you have here Bill. Love green beans made this way and can’t way for my pole beans to start producing so I can enjoy these!
Such a perfect summertime veg, Bill – love it! Pinned for sure.
I like to make long-cooked beans (usually with bacon) sometimes too, but this sort of recipe is more my everyday cooking. Good stuff — thanks.
Yum! I love simple side dishes like this one. I’ve never had pole beans before so I’ll have ot keep a look out for these in my area!