Reposted from 2013
A recipe that is hardly a recipe, but more of a 'throw it together' kind of side dish. Except, I often have this for lunch. Given the choice between sweets or vegetables, it would be a strange and odd day if I were to choose sweets! Instead, when I find myself alone for lunch or dinner and I don't have to take any other family members opinions into consideration, I will whip up something like this. I normally add fresh, minced or chopped garlic to this but on this particular day I did not. So quick and easy and delicious.
Green Beans - frozen or fresh
1/4 large onion, sliced, per person
olive oil
butter - real
salt and pepper
There are many ways to make this dish - you can caramelize the onions first and add them to the cooked beans. You can cook it all together in a pan and not let the onions get to a caramelized stage if you prefer translucent. You can add more or less oil or butter. I make these a number of ways. If you are using fresh green beans you can blanch them or pre-cook them in boiling water for a few minutes if you wish them to be very tender and not still hold their shape. Frozen does not need any pre-cooking. In a pinch, you could also use canned beans, drained well, if you needed to. On this day I used frozen green beans and caramelized the onions on the first layer while the beans were steaming on top of them.
In a pan over medium high heat, add a bit of olive oil to cover the bottom and a 'dollop' of butter. Add your onion, spreading out in a single layer. Place beans on top and let it cook without stirring for a few minutes. You will notice the onions you can see start to turn golden brown on the edges. This is the caramelization process. When they start to get dark brown and the aroma from your pan is 'sweeter' then you can start to turn the onions over. Cook the beans and onions, flipping onion pieces over and gently making sure the bigger pieces are on the bottoms. As the onions finish cooking, so do the beans. Season with salt and butter to your own tastes. Sometimes I add fresh garlic to this and brown the garlic during the last 4-5 minutes of cooking. I've also often added sliced mushrooms at the same time as the onions and once in a while, added toasted sliced almonds.
