Marinated Summer Beans with Toasted Almonds and Dry Jack Cheese
Green and yellow summer beans shine with flavor when cooked until just tender and tossed in a simple dressing of lemon juice and olive oil. Use aged dry Monterey jack cheese if you can find it, as it has a sharp, sweet flavor that brings out the sweetness of the beans.
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 lb. green beans
- 1/2 lb. yellow wax beans
- Salt, to taste
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup curls or shavings of dry Monterey jack or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped almonds, toasted
Directions
Zest the lemon to yield 1 tsp. grated zest. Juice the lemon and reserve 3 Tbs. juice.
Trim the beans and cut them diagonally if desired. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the beans and boil until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and plunge the beans into ice water to cool. Drain well and put in a large bowl.
Add the olive oil, tarragon, 2 1/2 Tbs. of the lemon juice and the lemon zest to the beans. Mix well, season with salt and pepper, and add more lemon juice, if desired. Transfer to a platter, top with the cheese and almonds, and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Eat Well, by Charity Ferreira (Oxmoor House, 2008).