Green Beans with Lemon, Garlic, and Parmigiano Gremolata

This is another LRK recipe. I made a half-batch, as the original recipe is written as a side dish for a Thanksgiving meal. If you make the whole batch, use two pans. Slowly steaming the green beans lets them soften without getting mushy. These are fabulous at room temperature, so they are a great make-ahead dish. I stupidly forgot to by a nice block of Parmigiano-Reggiano to grate, so I punted with grated stuff from a can; frankly, I don't think the taste suffered.

Ingredients

Beans:

• Good tasting extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds green beans, stem ends trimmed
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 cup water

Gremolata:

• 5 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/3 cup water
• Shredded zest of 2 large lemons (organic preferred; after all, you are eating the entire rind)
• 1 tight-packed cup Italian parsley leaves
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

1. Lightly film the bottom of 2 straight-sided 12-inch sauté pans with oil. Heat them over medium-high heat. Add the beans and generous sprinklings of salt and pepper, and sauté for 2 minutes, or until the beans begin to brown. Add 1/2 cup of water to each pan and immediately cover it. Turn the heat to medium-low. Cook the beans for 15 to 20 minutes, checking them often for burning and adding a little water if necessary. You want the beans very tender.

2. As the beans cook, make the gremolata. Put the garlic and 1/3 cup water in a coffee mug and microwave 1 minute, or simmer in a small saucepan to 1 to 2 minutes (this mellows the garlic just a little). Then, in a food processor, mince together the garlic (with its liquid), lemon zest, and parsley. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste.

3. When the beans are tender, uncover them, cook off any liquid in the pan, and turn them into a serving bowl. Toss the beans with the gremolata and the grated cheese.

Serves 10-14 as part of a large meal.

Patatas bravas

Jaleo--a local chain around DC-- used to serve this dish up as chunks of tomatoes, with tomato sauce and garlic aioli. Lately, though they've changed the recipe, so now it's potato chips with the same sauces. While, the new version is good, it's not exactly what I LOVE. So, here's my take on that recipe. It's really 3 easy recipes in 1. Once you make these you'll want to eat the whole bowl. I usually serve this with roasted asparagus, or salad, or even a couple of cheeses & bread.

Patatas Bravas:
Roasted potatoes
1 1/2 lbs of potatoes (I used some colorful fingerlings)
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Aioli:
1 head of garlic
2 T olive oil divided
2/3 c. prepared mayo
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste

1 c. of romesco sauce http://econkitchenchicks.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-from-hiatus.html, warmed through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

1. Slice the head of garlic in half across the equator. Drizzle with a glug of olive oil and wrap in foil and place in the oven. (you can do this ahead of time)
2. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks (somewhat a little bigger than 1")
3. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 T of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss with your fingers to get the potatoes coated with the olive oil
4. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes, giving the potatoes a toss about 1/2 way through.
5. After the garlic has spent about 30 minutes in the oven, it should be nice and honey-golden colored. If' it's still pale looking, let it go a little longer.
6. One the garlic has cooled to the touch, squeeze out the roasted cloves and combine with mayo, 1 T olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. I sometimes use a food processor, or sometimes I just mash it all up with a fork. Do whatever feels easiest.
7. Once the potatoes have gone for 30 minutes, check to make sure they have a nice brown color on them. If not, let them go a couple more minutes... This will be a personal call. I like my potatoes really crispy.
8. Assemble. Place potatoes on bottom, spoon over the romesco sauce, and dot with your aioli.
9. Enjoy!