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.
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.