If You Can't Stand the Heat...

After leasing an apartment, there are questions you realize you should have asked before moving in:

1) When things like electrical circuit malfunctions happen, how long do I have to go without electricity before it's fixed?

2) Same goes for a broken dishwasher.

3) And the one-and-only broken clothes dryer that held my wet (but clean!) clothes hostage.

4) And the constant ants. (Which I managed to control with baby powder. Who knew??)

5) Oh -- and is there air conditioning?

Yeah, yeah -- I'm from the South. I should be used to the hot, humid weather and be able to live without air conditioning. That's what everyone thinks. But have you been to the South?? We go from our highly air-conditioned cars to our highly air-conditioned work places to our highly air-conditioned homes. We're not exactly outside creatures in the summer, hibernating in our cranked-up cold buildings.

I need my air conditioning. And it's only worse when I have the oven and burners  on. Why oh why?? So leave it to me until the start of a summer in an apartment with no air conditioning to find the most perfect way to cook green beans, while streaming heat through the kitchen. Oh, you roast them in a 450 degree oven. Yes, indeed. But, guess what? The results are so good that I shall deal with the heat! I can't help it.

It never occurred to me to roast green beans. What would they look like? How would they taste? Would it even work? But I was late making dinner one night. Not having time to blanch and saute the beans, I considered roasting. I vaguely remembered a recipe from Cook's Illustrated on the subject that I hunted down. 

The green beans shrivel up nicely and are unlike any way I've had a green bean--chewy and slightly sweet. Long after dinner, I find myself creeping into the kitchen for some more bites. Green  beans replacing chocolate cravings at night? Yes, indeed. This will be new way of cooking all green beans, as long as I can live through the heat wave that follows.

Roasted Green Beans, Nov/Dec 2005 Cook's Illustrated

(Note: This recipe says 20 minutes or so. Mine took longer. It was the non air-conditioning gods out to punish me. )

--Foil liner prevents burning on dark nonstick baking sheets.

1 lb green beans, stem ends snapped off
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle positron; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; spread beans on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; using hands, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, redistribute beans. Continue roasting until beans are dark golden brown in spots and have started to shrivel, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

Adjust seasonings, transfer to bowl and serve.

Variations:

Roasted Sesame Green Beans -- 1 tablespoon garlic minced, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, 1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
Mix together. Coat beans with sauce when redistributing the beans between first and second stint in oven.

Roasted Green Beans with Red Onion and Walnuts
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp minced fresh thyme, 2 medium thin-sliced garlic cloves.  Roast 1/2 red onion with green beans. Mix ingredients. Coat beans with sauce when redistributing the beans between first and second stint in oven. When the green beans come out of the oven, sprinkle with 1/3 cup toasted walnuts.

Comments

[Bryan]

I grew up kind of in the state forest, so we'd occasionally have ants in the kitchen. The big ones, usually, but one day my mother left some fresh basil on the counter and - poof! - they disappeared. She started buying basil and leaving it out and they never came back.

[ann]

I've been experiencing lots of novel ways to cook greenbeans lately. My new favorite way is deepfried and dipped in aioli. At Zozo's in the LES they serve it with chipotle aioli, and at this place in Denver they served them covered in fermented black beans with garlic chips. They're so good. But i bet roasted is much healthier. I'll have to try this. Thanks!

[Kolbi]

oooh...i roast asparagus. green beans sounds great. but no AC? damn, girl. (i was shocked when i moved to boston that no one has it. i mean, really. it gets hot in the summer!)