Greeked Green Beans

Greeked green beans, miracle green beans, call them what you will. I'm calling them miracle green beans because Jeff loved them, and he has always wrinkled his nose at the idea of eating green beans. He's tried them two other times since I made these, and I can now officially add green beans to the rotation along with asparagus and broccoli. Those of you who have followed along for a while know how picky my fiancé is. We're making some big strides around here!

Like the pork recipe I shared yesterday, this recipe is also adapted from New England Home Cooking. Green beans are parboiled and then braised with onion, garlic, and tomatoes to make a sort of green bean stew. But rest assured, the green beans become tender but not mushy as they soak in plenty of flavor from the tomatoes.

Speaking of tomatoes, Muir Glen recently sent me a basket of their new reserve tomatoes, and I thought I'd put them to use in this recipe. This year's reserve tomatoes, called Harvest Sunset, are red and yellow tomatoes that were grown in Northern California's Yolo County fields and hand-harvested at the peak of ripeness. When I attended the Muir Glen tomato dinner, I tasted these tomatoes straight out of the can, and I loved their sweet, fresh flavor. I knew they'd pair well with my green beans.

Greeked Green Beans (adapted from New England Home Cooking)

Ingredients

12 ounces green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14-ounce) can Muir Glen Reserve Harvest Sunset Organic Diced Tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Cook beans in large pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, and rinse with cold water.

Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper.

Stir in green beans.

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until beans are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Uncover, and if there is a lot of liquid in the pot, raise heat and cook for a few minutes to reduce it.

Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

I loved the contrast between the soft, sweet tomatoes and the fresh, firm green beans brightened with a splash of lemon juice. I only wished I had some crumbled feta to throw on top! (Of course, then Jeff never would have tried them.)

What's your favorite way to cook green beans?