Green bean

About

Green and runner beans are immature seed pods with a fresh, grassy, almost alkaline flavor that persists even after simmering, since the compounds responsible for it are heat-stable. Runner beans generally grow in cooler climates and have a slightly earthier, beanier flavor than green beans; variety differences are otherwise minor once beans are picked young. Longer cooking or pairing with okra's typical flavor partners can help if the raw, grassy taste is unwelcome.

Pairs well with green bean

• EaPotatoPotato mellows green bean's flavor.
• FrTomatoSlow-cooking green beans with tomato transforms them: beans and diced tomato, along with onion, garlic, salt and olive oil, simmered…
• SuGarlicFood writer John Thorne considers the green bean a one-trick vegetable and offers just a single recipe: young beans simmered briefly,…
• WoAlmondGreen beans (including the yellow variety known as wax beans, called haricots beurre in France) pair well with almonds: a common…
• SpCinnamonCinnamon and green bean appear together in a walnut sauce for pasta: cooked green beans are blended with cream, cinnamon, and garlic, then…
• EaMushroomThe two develop similar flavors as they cook: green beans take on mushroom and potato-like notes, and mushrooms develop potato notes of…
• ChCheeseGreen beans pair well with light, fresh summer cheeses - burrata with green beans and hazelnuts in a salad, or green beans tossed through…
• RoSesameA pairing of opposites: green beans are picked before they're fully ripe, their flavor originally meant to deter predators, while sesame…
• BrMisoCooking green beans in heavily salted water intensifies their green, meaty flavor while keeping their color bright, according to tests by…
• MuMustardMustard oil is essential in Bengali cooking, especially for frying fish, and in Kashmiri cuisine, where it's heated to smoking point and…
• GrParsleyA contrast in shades of green: green bean's somber, woodland character against parsley's brighter, sharper top note.
• GrChileChef Bill Jones fries chopped chiles, garlic and shallot in grapeseed oil, then adds blanched green beans until their skins blister,…
• CiTurmericRunner bean and turmeric, natives of South America and South Asia respectively, combine to evoke a grassy, earthy English-garden character.