These are marvelous to take along on a picnic. For extra glamour, package them in tiny bundles “tied” with pimiento strips.
Yield:
Serves 8Ingredients
3 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fennel seed
12 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
3 green onions, white and green portion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped celery leaves
2 sprigs fresh parsley
2 one-inch strips lemon zest
1 pound green beans, whole
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 canned pimientos, cut into narrow strips
Instructions
1. In a wide saucepan, combine the water, wine, and oil. Stir in the thyme, salt, fennel seed, peppercorns, and bay leaf. Add the onions, celery leaves, parsley, and lemon zest, then bring to a boil.
2. Drop the beans into the boiling liquid and cook, uncovered, for 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and place them in a deep rectangular dish. Continue to boil the liquid until it is reduced by half. Stir in the tarragon and lemon juice, and pour over the beans. Cover the dish with waxed paper, then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. Remove the beans from the liquid and divide into 8 small portions, lining them up like bundles of sticks. Wind a narrow strip of pimiento around each bundle and overlap the ends. Serve immediately, or if packing for a picnic, enclose each bundle in a piece of plastic wrap.
