Cooking & Nutrition of Beans

Nutritional Benefits & Values

Cooking

Preparation

Green Beans (aka String Beans, Snap Beans, Young French Beans)

• most modern varieties don't really have much of a string anymore
• to check for a string, snap off the stem end. If only see a small string attached, just cut off the tips with a knife. this can be done in batches. some chefs also like to cut off the tails. If the string is long and tough, snap both ends off of each bean while pulling the string down from top to tail
• cutting them diagonally into halves or thirds, depending on their length, makes eating them easier & they look pretty

Fresh Shell Beans (aka Flageolet, Cannellini)

• break open pods along the seam, then pop out the beans by running your thumb up the center

Broad Beans

• if you pick them very young, then you have a choice of shelling the beans, and eating them raw, or cooking the pods and eating them whole, just like sugar snap peas

Cooking Methods

Green Beans (aka String Beans, Snap Beans, Young French Beans)

Sauteing

• great for complex layers of flavor
• parboiling before sauteing keeps the bright color and controls texture

Boiling

• results in consistent cooking texture throughout the bean
• described as "toothsome but not crunchy or fibrous"

Braising

• makes a tender, flavorful bean

Roasting

• carmelizes and creates delicious full flavor

Fresh Shell Beans (aka Flageolet, Cannellini)

Simmer

• tenderizes them and prepares them for use in other dishes

Recipes (links to Recipes Category)

Green Beans (aka String Beans, Snap Beans, Young French Beans)

• Green Beans with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette and Parmesan Breadcrumbs (FineCooking.com)
• Chinese Restaurant-Style Sauteed Green Beans (FineCooking.com)
• Spiced Green Beans Braised with Tomatoes & Onions (FineCooking.com)
• Garlic-Roasted Green Beans and Shallots with Hazelnuts (FineCooking.com)
• French Potato Salad with Green Beans
  • add green beans to a warm potato salad made with small red-skinned potatoes
  • toss with chopped shallots and a creamy mustard vinaigrette
• Sauteed Beans and Mushrooms
  • stir up a flovorful saute of green beans, slivered onion, sliced mushrooms, chopped garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper
  • add a dash of balsamic vinegar at the end
• Sweet & Sour Bean Salad
  • mix a colorful bean salad of cooked green, yellow, and purple beans with chickpeas and diced raw onion, celery, and bell pepper
  • marinate in a sweet-sour vinaigrette
  • add chopped fresh chervil or mint just before serving

Fresh Shell Beans (aka Flageolet, Cannellini)

• for salads, to add to pasta, sauteed vegetables, or to make a bean spread
• simmer in lightly salted water or low-sodium chicken broth until tender
• add some onion and bay leaves, thyme, parsley
• takes about 20-30 minutes, depending on maturity and variety
• beans are then ready for a salad, pasta, or added to sauteed vegetables. Puree with olive oil for a spread
• Gratin of Shell Beans and Sausage (FineCooking.com)
• Summer Minestrone
  • simmer fresh shell beans in chicken or vegetable broth with diced onion, minced garlic, and a sprig of rosemary and thyme
  • add diced tomatoes and summer squash for the last 10-15 minutes of cooking
  • finish with a handful of fresh basil leaves and a shower of grated parmesan
• Crostini of Shell Beans and Tuna Confit
  • simmer shell beans with garlic and herbs until tender
  • puree with olive oil to make a spread
  • top crostini with the beans and a few flakes of tuna cooked in olive oil
• Orechiette, Broccoli Raab, and White Beans
  • blanch the broccoli raab in the pasta cooking water
  • then saute with some olive oil, red pepper flakes, and garlic until tender
  • toss the raab and some cooked white beans with the pasta and add some grated parmesan
  • moisten with pasta cooking water

Soybeans

• Edamame
  • boil or steam the pods whole
  • shell beans
  • add salt

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