String Beans with Lemon Vinaigrette
String Beans with Lemon Vinaigrette
These fresh, lovely beans make a perfect summer salad. The light lemon vinaigrette adds a touch of brightness while letting the beans shine. Enjoy with your favorite summer meal.
Ingredients
- 1 large lemon
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil your best olive oil
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 pound fresh string beans green, yellow and/or purple
Instructions
Make the Lemon Vinaigrette
- Zest the lemon with a Microplane or peel and chop very fine
- Squeeze the lemon juice into a small jar and add the salt and pepper
- Add the olive oil to the jar. I like it to be roughly half lemon juice and half olive oil, but feel free to adjust to your taste
- Grab your fresh thyme (or dried thyme if you don't have fresh). I love the smell of thyme, subtle and rustic.
- Slip the thyme leaves off the stems and add them to the vinaigrette (or just add your dried thyme)
- Cover the jar and give it a good shake to emulsify the ingredients. Let it sit while you make the beans, taste and adjust the seasonings.
Prepare the beans
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Trim the end off the beans and place them in the boiling water until just tender - 4 to 5 minutes.
- While the beans are blanching, fill a large bowl with ice and water
- Once the beans are just tender, remove them from the boiling water and place them in the ice water
- Let the beans sit in the water until they are completely cool - a couple of minutes
- Remove the beans and let drain. You can refrigerate the beans like this until you are ready to serve them
- Place the beans in a serving dish and sprinkle with the lemon zest
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the beans. They make a beautiful salad or side dish on a warm summer evening
- Serve them with all your summer favorites. We loved them this week with a Caprese salad, fresh corn and some delicious burgers.
