Green Bean and Potato Sauté

Developed November, 2017. This is the ideal 'green vegetable + starch' side dish. Based on pantry ingredients, it's easy, quick, and cheap.

1 39-oz can green beans and whole potatoes (Hanover™ brand is good)
1/4 c shallots, thinly sliced
2 to 3 T chicken fat or other fat such as bacon, butter, or olive oil
1 t paprika
salt

Heat the fat in a 10-inch nonstick skillet until bubbling. Add the shallots and salt lightly. Fry with frequent stirring until soft but not colored. Drain the vegetables thoroughly, reserving the pack liquid. Add the green beans to the skillet, separate from the potatoes. As the beans are cooking, slice the potatoes thinly. After about five minutes, add the potatoes, season with paprika and salt, and continue cooking. After 10 minutes, add the reserved liquid bit by bit until about half has been added. Cook with frequent turning until most of the liquid has been lost and a pan sauce forms. Serves 3 to 4.

Green Beans Braised in Tarragon and Butter

[Recorded November 2, 2009; developed over a long time]

1/2 lb  haricot vert, if available, or nice young green beans
kosher salt
2 t unsalted butter
1/2 t dry tarragon, rubbed fine

Pinch off the stem end of each bean, but keep them whole if possible. [Hint: Hold a bunch of beans together in one hand, and pinch the stems off with the other.] 

Bring a half-inch of lightly-salted water to a boil in a saute pan and drop the beans. Cover, and boil slowly until almost tender, about 6 to 8 minutes (see RANT).
 
Drain into a colander and cover to keep warm. Dry the pan, and return it to medium-high heat. When sizzling hot, add the butter and coat the pan with it. After about a minute, a nutty buttery aroma will become apparent. Pure deliciousness. 

Drop the beans, coat with the butter, and salt. Handle with tongs. Add the tarragon, saute a few minutes until sizzling. Plate. Deglaze pan with a tablespoon of lemon juice, white wine, water or stock. When fluid is mostly gone, pour the butter-tarragon sauce over the beans, and serve. Dyno-mite.

Serves 2 to 3 as a side, or 1 bean freak
 
RANT:
Don’t make the widespread culinary mistake of grossly undercooking vegetables. Because the nutrients within the plant’s cells can’t escape the cell wall (remember, people can’t digest cellulose), some of the potential food value (and flavor) will be unavailable. Reducing raw foods to a liquified puree (yuck) in a “juicer” will free the nutrients, as Jack LaLanne proves nightly on his infomercials, but except for carrots, it's not a major home appliance. After all, how much liquified orange peel are you prepared to drink?

Braised Turkey Thighs with Olives and Chilies

Adapted by DrDaddy and Merry from Ada Boni's Regional Cooking of Italy. A family favorite and SIGNATURE DISH.

2 turkey thighs -- about 2.5 lbs total
1 6-oz can pitted ripe green or black olives, drained
2 7-oz cans chopped green chilies (Ortega™ is good)
1/2 c dry white wine
2 c chicken or turkey stock
1 T minced garlic
3 T olive oil
12 oz extra-wide egg noodles, boiled according to package

Trim excess skin, remove visible fat, and discard. Season both sides well with salt. Heat a deep skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat, add oil. Fry turkey until well browned on both sides, turning occasionally. Add garlic and cook until lightly colored -- do not burn! Add wine and cook until reduced by half. Add olives, chilies, and stock.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover partly, and cook until meat is tender -- about 2 hours. Remove meat from pan, cool, and slice parallel to bone. Return to pan to reheat along with the hot noodles. Serves 4 to 6. Steamed or braised broccoli makes a nice side dish.

Braised turkey, noodles, and olives
with butter-braised green beans on the side.