{"id":1405,"date":"2011-01-27T14:11:52","date_gmt":"2011-01-27T22:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/?p=1405"},"modified":"2011-01-28T20:40:43","modified_gmt":"2011-01-29T04:40:43","slug":"green-bean-salsa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/engine\/green-bean-salsa","title":{"rendered":"green (bean) salsa"},"content":{"rendered":"

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green (bean) salsa<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

salsa verte \u00e0 ma fa\u00e7on
\n<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/strong>(green salsa my way)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Countdown to Super Bowl XLV.\u00a0 Next week I will post a couple of meat dishes that you can serve and enjoy during the game which involve the things you typically think of when you think of Super Bowl food (meat, a little spice, a little sweet, and beer).\u00a0 However, this week I wanted to give you something lighter so this week\u2019s simple pleasure is salsa (with a twist).<\/span><\/p>\n

In anticipation of the game, stores everywhere are displaying game snacks, primarily corn tortilla chips and salsa. Admittedly, fresh tomato salsa is delicious and a perfect companion to tortilla chips but tomato season ended in September and salsa in a jar is more like a sauce or pur\u00e9e, neither fresh nor \u00a0chunky.\u00a0 However, salsa does not have to be made only with tomatoes. \u00a0 This green salsa, <\/span>salsa verte (\u00e0 ma fa\u00e7on)<\/span>,<\/span><\/em> takes the idea of a salsa but uses<\/span> haricots verts<\/span> <\/span><\/em>(green beans) instead of tomatoes or tomatillos (which are used in the \u201c<\/span>salsa verde<\/span><\/em>\u201d found in Mexican\/Mexican-American cuisine).<\/span><\/p>\n

There are many varieties of green beans and their peak season is late summer\/fall. However, in California the season for green beans is relatively long and there remain delicious green beans at the farmer\u2019s markets and grocery stores (although I would consider this to be the very end of their season so buy them now).<\/span><\/p>\n

Green beans, snap beans and string beans are all the same thing: green beans where both the pod and the small seeds inside are eaten.\u00a0 Today we rarely see green beans with the string filament on them (which is where the name \u201csting bean\u201d comes from) so the designation \u201cstring bean\u201d is obsolete.\u00a0 \u201cSnap beans\u201d is just another name given to green beans due to the snapping sound they make when broken.\u00a0 Green beans varieties include Blue Lake, Green Daytona, and common snap beans.\u00a0 What Americans know as \u201cHaricots Verts\u201d and identify as “French green beans” are simply beans picked early and thus, thinner and smaller in size than the common green bean varieties that this salsa calls for.<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple of ingredient and production notes.\u00a0 First, use a standard-size green bean that is <\/span>round<\/span><\/em> (not flat) and make sure it is <\/span>green. <\/span><\/em>The reason is visual as well as for taste. \u00a0 The yellow varieties are pretty but they have less flavor than the green.\u00a0 The purple varieties turn dark green when cooked and the bright green of the green varieties looks nicer in the salsa.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, you must use fresh, quality ingredients: fresh cilantro (coriander), fresh green beans (not frozen…they can be soggy), a tasteful, ripe avocado, a crisp red onion, and fresh lemon juice. \u00a0The benefit to this salsa is the light, fresh taste with the crunch of the onions and beans with the contrast of the creamy avocado.\u00a0\u00a0If your ingredients are substandard or tasteless, so too will be your salsa. <\/span><\/p>\n

Third, cook the green beans in salty water for no longer than 2-3 minutes and then immediately cease their cooking in an ice bath and drain them.\u00a0 If\u00a0 you overcook the beans or leave them to soak in water, they will not maintain the bright green color that you want and\/or they will be mushy.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to a tortilla chip companion, this salsa can stand on its own and pairs well with grilled, pan-fried, or roasted steaks, chicken, and seafood (shrimp, salmon, tuna, and sea bass, to name a few).\u00a0 The salsa takes 10 minutes to make and tastes good the following day.\u00a0 It is not only a delicious change from the usual routine, but the salsa is good for you too which makes <\/span>salsa verte<\/span><\/em> a <\/span>touchdown<\/span><\/em> for everyone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Je vous souhaite un bon app\u00e9tit <\/span><\/em>!<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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LM<\/span><\/p>\n

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green (bean) salsa<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span>stats:<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

yields approximately one pint<\/span><\/p>\n

what you need:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

1 cup diced red onions (about 1 onion)
\n<\/span>1 pound fresh green beens, diced
\n<\/span>2\/3 cup fresh cilantro (coriander), minced
\n<\/span>2\/3 cup Haas avocado, diced (about 1 avocado)
\n<\/span>juice from 2 lemons
\n<\/span>2 teaspoons fleur de sel (or as needed)<\/span><\/p>\n

how to:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n