Green Beans

Stringless green beans picked immaturely with the flower still clinging should be cooked some 8—or, at the most, 10—minutes, uncovered, in a vast quantity of generously salted rapidly boiling water. As a garnish, they are drained, tossed rapidly over a high flame to rid them of clinging liquid and bound, away from the flame, by tossing them in butter, first cut into small fragments. As a salad, they are best served only well drained, hot, accompanied by olive oil and lemon wedges. One of the finest accompaniments to a roast leg of lamb, haricots panachés, consists of tossing, away from the flame, equal parts of drained green beans and white beans, together with salt to taste, a liberal amount of freshly ground pepper, freshly picked, chopped Italian parsley, and lots of butter. Restaurants often parboil green beans, rinse them in cold water to prevent their turning gray from slow cooling, and reheat them at the last minute by tossing them in butter over a high flame. The color remains intact, but their integrity is, otherwise, seriously compromised.