Fagiolini con Pomodoro, Aglio e Basilico

Early in the summer, when basil’s aroma is at its freshest, green beans are young and tender, and the first ripe tomatoes make scarlet pyramids at the vegetable stand, this is the kind of dish one’s thoughts turn to. The beans are cooked entirely in the tomatoes’ juices so their cool, vegetal flavor does not boil away in water, and, while they become tender, they retain a satisfying degree of firmness. I have had this as a vegetable dish and as a pasta sauce, and I was equally happy with bo