Marinated Green Beans and Peppers
I love applying this simple preparation to almost any seasonal vegetables. In the summer, I especially enjoy it with green beans and peppers. We blanch the green beans and roast the peppers, then marinate them with red onion, in vinegar and olive oil. The resulting dish is so good served with starchy foods like boiled potatoes, rice, farro, bread, or miso polenta.
Marinated Green Beans and Peppers
serves 4
sea salt
2-3 bell peppers, halved and seeded
8-9 oz (227-255 g) green beans, trimmed and halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided
olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
handful fresh basil, torn
handful toasted almonds, chopped (optional, but very good)
Preheat the oven to 450° F (230° C). Set a medium pot of well-salted water to boil.
Put the peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet cut side down. Roast for 25 minutes or until the skin is blistered. Transfer the peppers to a small bowl, and cover it with a plate. Let the peppers steam for at least 10 minutes.
Put the green beans in the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. Strain the beans and run them under cold water to stop the cooking. Add the onion and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar to a large bowl, mix to coat. Once the green beans are done cooking, add them to the bowl and mix to coat.
Peel the peppers (the skin should come off easily), and slice them into strips. Add the peppers to the bowl, along with 1 more tablespoon of the vinegar, enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables, salt, and black pepper to taste. Mix to coat, and taste the vegetables for salt and acidity. Adjust if needed by adding more salt or another splash of vinegar. Add the basil and almonds, if using. Ideally, let the vegetables marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Intuitive Cooking Takeaways
This kind of treatment can be applied to so many vegetables. Just blanch, boil (or leave raw in some cases, like if using tomatoes) whatever seasonal veggies you’ve got and dress them with oil and vinegar. Feel free to switch up the herbs and nuts/seeds here to ones that go well with your veggies.