Green Beans With Tomato
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup, loosely packed, torn basil leaves
- 4 ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped or drained canned tomatoes, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1-1/4 pounds fresh young green beans, topped and tailed (see note below)
Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in green beans and boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes. The beans should still be quite crisp. Drain beans, and turn them into the tomato sauce, stirring to mix everything well. Cover the pan, and continue cooking the beans in the tomato sauce over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the beans are very tender.
Serve immediately, or later at room temperature.
Yield: 6 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Note: Fagiolini di Sant’Anna are very long, thin, dark green beans, something like Chinese yardlong beans, which mature around July 26, the day dedicated to St. Anne; if you can get them, you may break them into shorter lengths for preparation. This recipe, however, is just as good with other green beans, like the wide, flat ones sometimes called roma or romano beans in the United States, or even with tender young zucchini.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 100 calories, 5 grams fat, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 7 milligrams sodium (before salting), 3 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrate.