Keep it simple & delicious
The warmer months of the year are synonymous with more outdoor meals and a great time to light a fire for a braai or two. This simple, yet tasty side dish is ready in no time and goes with any meat you prepare. It’s a great option if you want to avoid another starchy side dish for the meal.
Just five basic ingredients will result in a flavourful synergy that will complement one another so well. Mushrooms are pan-fried and seasoned with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Green beans are then pan-fried, mixed with the mushrooms, and topped with toasted almond flakes – done in two ticks! Toasted almonds add lovely textures and complement the nuttiness of the pan-fried mushrooms beautifully.
Green beans are one of the more delicate greens and are really easy to prepare. The secret is not to overcook them, so that they are still crunchy and bright green in colour – ‘al dente’, as the Italians would say. Brown or portabellini mushrooms have a lovely nutty taste that is even more prominent when pan-fried. It’s important that the pan is warm enough but remember to preheat it over a medium temperature so that the mushrooms continue to fry, but not burn. If the pan is not hot enough, the mushrooms push out their moisture and will simmer in their juices and not fry anymore. Pan-frying the mushrooms in batches is a great way to maintain the heat of the pan. When the pan is at the ideal temperature, the mushrooms will make a ‘squeaky’ sound when tossed or stirred.
Green beans with mushrooms & almonds
Recipe by Heleen Meyer
Serves 4 – 6
80 ml (⅓ cup) flaked almonds
30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
250 g brown or portabellini mushrooms, thickly sliced
15 ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
300 g thin green beans
Salt and black pepper to taste
- Heat a large frying pan over medium temperature. Toast the almonds, without any oil, until light golden brown – keeping an eye on them as they can easily burn. Remove almonds from the pan and set aside.
- Heat half of the oil in the same pan and sauté the mushrooms in two batches until cooked. Place the mushrooms in a bowl, mix the balsamic vinegar through, and set aside.
- Pour the remaining oil into the pan and sauté the green beans until just cooked, but still bright green. You can also do it in batches if the pan is not big enough.
- Add the mushrooms to the beans and toss well until all the ingredients are warmed through. Spoon onto a serving dish. Season to taste and sprinkle with the almonds.
- Serve immediately as a low-carb side dish.
Visit Heleen’s website (www.heleenmeyer.co.za) for more recipes like this.
Image by Adel Ferreira, courtesy of LiG magazine.