On 7/28/2012 10:46 AM, ImStillMags wrote:
> A friend of mine gave me some fresh green beans from her garden
> yesterday. These are mature green beans, meaning they have gotten to
> the stage where the bean has formed in the pod and the pod is no
> longer pencil thin and smooth....it's fat and lumpy with the bean.
>
> We all know these will be less tender and less sweet. I haven't had
> any mature green beans for years, don't have a garden and when I buy
> them at the market I always buy the young and tender ones.
>
> so.......I'm going to cook them the old granny Southern way we used to
> cook mature green beans when I was growing up. Long and slow.
> These will be the type of green beans that a lot of people think about
> who believe that Southerners overcook their vegetables. Of course
> that's not true. We cook young green beans quickly and serve them
> still tender crisp. But these older beans are going to be tender and
> silky with a flavor that is out of this world.
>
> I'll take off the 'strings', snap them into about 2" long pieces.
>
> In my heavy pot I'll fry thin slices of 'fatback' or salt pork till
> rendered and crispy. Then I'll add some good chicken stock, the green
> beans and some chopped onion and let that
> simmer for about an hour. Then I'll add some very small new red
> potatoes, whole, to the pot and let it simmer till the potatoes are
> completely tender. Salt and black pepper to taste. No, the beans
> won't cook till mush. They will be silky tender and have a flavor
> unlike you've ever had from green beans. And there will be this
> fabulous 'pot liquor' as a bonus. I like to put the 'pot liquor'
> over cornbread.
>
> If you have never tried mature green beans this way, well, you've
> missed out. If you get your hands on some mature green beans try
> this. You will not be disappointed.
>
>
> I'll post pictures later.
>
>
Sounds good to me! I think with older green beans I'd make them bacon
wrapped and roasted. Since it takes longer to cook bacon than normally
takes to cook beans, they'd be cooked to softer that way. However you
make them, enjoy the fresh ones!