I was feeling poor and homely tonight so instead of joining my friends for an evening of revelry, I've been sitting at home doing things I usually do when I'm alone. I started by making myself dinner. The only part of that endeavour that merits mention are the green beans. For the southerners among you this will seem a no-brainer, hardly worthy of any mention at all, but for all my friends from the lands of fruits and nuts and that great white expanse that lies to north, here follows a basic outline of how to make some tasty green beans.

You need:
-green beans (rinsed, de-stemmed, and parboiled -- though don't do this too long as you want them to spend some time cooking in the fat)
-bacon, at least two slices, more if you like it or if you're making lots of beans (canadian bacon will do if necessary, but fatty thick sliced smoked hog ass is preferable)
-onions (I prefer finely sliced, but it don't really matter so long as you cut it up) -shallots are a wonderfully west-coast substitution, but are best described as a moderately acceptable alternative (we don't actually want to taste the green beans here, this isn't really about the vegetables, it's about the pork fat--and the onions cooked in the pork fat)
-garlic (two cloves, and if you're feeling finnicky, take out the bitter green insides)
butter (you can stick with just the rendered bacon fat, but I like to think that somehow the combined flavours of bacon fat and butter create some sort of culinary apogee, smoky, salty, porky goodness, combined with creamy smooth delectability).

The final ingredients might cause some quibbling with anyone who thought my preface to this recipe implied I was cooking traditional southern green beans. As far as I'm aware, a traditional recipe also includes vinegar and sugar (and probably a no to the garlic). I don't much cotton to sugar coating my green beans, and though it does belie my southern cooking pretensions, I prefer dry white wine to vinegar (I also added a halved and sliced roma tomato at the last minute when I prepared my beans this evening).

So, the point of that little aside is that you need some acid. Your humble chef recommends dry white wine, dry (white) vermouth, or a touch of bourbon (not much acid there, but when I discovered what a wonderful pair bourbon and bacon are a few years back, it was my culinary revelation of the year. I now combine the two with reckless abandon).

Cooking
-add bacon to large pan (med heat), cook till most of the fat has rendered
-add onion (or shallots), increase heat a bit above medium (as long as nothing is burning, it's not too hot)
-when onions are translucent (or heading to caramelized if you prefer) reduce heat to low and add garlic, if you're not swimming in bacon fat, add some butter at this stage
-cook for a couple minutes at low (if you're using an electric stove, take the pan off the burner for the first minute)
-add some white wine (flame it if you're feeling frisky, if you've never done this before don't try it till I'm there to teach you. Many of my friends can attest to my flambéing brilliance)
-add the green beans, cook till there's no crunch crunch left. This does not mean mushy, there should still be a bite.
-salt and pepper to taste
-if you like it fatty (and you should) a dollop or two of butter for aesthetics and smooth tasty creaminess

As an alternative: Steam or boil green beans. Toss with lemon juice, tamari, and a dash of toasted sesame seed oil (and some chili paste if you're feeling frisky)

The next post will arrive soon.