Green Beans

French beans, haricots verts, string beans, just plain green beans - whatever you choose to call them, they are fabulous fare. They are at their very best, and unfortunately most expensive in the markets, when they are at their smallest, and still stringless. All that must be done before cooking is to “top and tail” them, wash them, and place them in a bowl with a little butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then steam them over water, or cook them in boiling salted water, until they are tender. When they are a little older, it is necessary to remove the filament or “string” that binds the two shells together. When they are older still (runner bean size), it is best to cut them diagonally in thin slices before cooking them as above.