Green Beans the French way

Back in the United States, I was very proud of my green beans. My parents would beg me to make them when I was home for the holidays, and they were my go-to side dish to impress a new boyfriend. So when I moved to France and met Sébastien, I was looking forward to the opportunity to make them for him as well. The occasion finally arose; I boasted proudly, "I have a fantastic recipe for green beans! You're going to love them." I proceeded to describe the recipe.

Sébastien looked at me rather strangely. There was a long pause. "But..." [another long pause] "... that's how everyone makes green beans here!" It turns out my innovative, original green bean recipe is nothing more than a French household standard. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's delicious.

Don't hesitate to adjust the boiling time to account for your personal green bean taste. I like mine fairly crisp, so I boil them about 7 minutes; if you prefer yours softer, you could boil them around 10 minutes. I'm not going to give specific measurements here; count approximately one large handful of green beans per invitee, and the rest of the ingredients are proportional.

French Green Beans

Green beans

1-2 Tbsp. butter

Garlic (powder or a clove)

Lemon juice and lemon wedges

2-3 Tbsp. parsley (fresh)

Salt and Pepper

Rinse and clean (snapping off ends and removing any strings) your green beans. Throw them in a kettle of rapidly boiling salted water and let boil for 7-10 minutes. During this time, if you are using a clove of fresh garlic, mince it.

When green beans have finished cooking, drain them immediately in a colander and rinse with cold running water.

Meanwhile, return the hot kettle to the stove. If you're using fresh garlic, begin by placing a generous pad of butter in the kettle and sautéeing the garlic over medium low heat for 1-2 minutes. Follow with the other ingredients, as described below.

If you are using garlic powder, place a generous pad of butter in the kettle over medium low heat and return the green beans. Season with garlic and salt and pepper; generously moisten with lemon juice; add a few tablespoons of fresh parsley. Heat, stirring regularly, until the green beans are warm but not browned.

Serve immediately with a wedge of lemon.

Bon appetit!