See, here’s the deal:
green beans don’t have to come from a can, or be cooked with bacon or, really, cooked (that much) at all.
You could start with tiny frozen green beans (haricots verts); blanch ’em just for a bit until they’re bright green and still nice and crispity, then shock ’em senseless in an ice water bath, drain ’em well, and turn ’em into a salad with good blue cheese, dried cherries, and balsamic vinegar.
INGREDIENTS
•1 lb haricots verts
•1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
•1/4 cup olive oil
•1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
•Dried cherries
•Sea salt
•Black pepper
•Aleppo pepper
Bring a pot of salted* water to a boil – I used my asparagus steamer – add the beans, and cook until the beans are bright green and still crisp. Immediately plunge the beans into a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any further, then drain.
*How much salt? More than you might think; your water should taste like the ocean.
Once the beans have drained and cooled, add them to a large bowl with the blue cheese and dried cherries.
Whisk the balsamic vinegar together with the olive oil and drizzle over the green bean mixture in the bowl.
Toss to blend, give the salad a nibble, then season with salt and pepper to taste, then chill for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend before serving.
I added some home made croutons for additional crunch; but you could easily add some spiced pecans or walnuts.
Nice salad! Also a kindofa pleasant filling for your lunchtime roll up sammich.