Chilled Green Bean Salad with Rosemary & Garlic Oil ♥

Today's summer side salad recipe: Just in time for the summer's first green beans, a simple salad, nothing more than beans tossed in oil infused with rosemary and garlic but somehow, somehow so much more.

Fresh Vegetables, Fast & Healthy. Whole Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Not Just Easy, Summer Easy. Budget Friendly. Little Effort, Big Taste. Low Carb. Low Fat. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real. Naturally Gluten Free. Whole30 Friendly. One of My Very Favorite Very Favorite Green Beans Recipes. Happiness Quotient 100. Rave Reviews!

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Tis a Magical Thing ...

... when summer and the first beans arrive on the same day, a sign that something just might be "right" with the world.

So it happened on June 21, the day of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year for those of us in the northern hemisphere, what the Finns and other Scandinavians call "Midsummer".

I wore a dress from Finland. I cooked my favorite Finnish recipes, especially the oh-so-lovely Finnish Summer Soup (kësakeitto) and a favorite fruit dessert I intend to make all summer long, just to sample all the variations.

But the beans. Oh my, the beans.

They'd been off the bush no more than 10 minutes by the time they plopped into the bubbling pot of water so the only thing fresher would be dusting them off right there amid the tomatoes and onions and cabbage and pattypan squash and cucumber, then crunching right in to taste sun and sky captured in a bit of greenness no longer than a finger.

There we were with a Finnish feast and all we could think was, "Let's make a meal of the beans."

Mine is a northern soul but if these beans are a sign of the summer to come, bring it on.

This recipe is so quick and easy that I'm adding it to a growing collection of easy summer recipes published all summer long ever since 2009 at Kitchen Parade, my food column. With a free Kitchen Parade e-mail subscription, you'll never miss a one!

How to Make a Chilled Green Bean Salad

The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in four easy steps. You can do this!

INFUSE THE OIL with rosemary and garlic. It's a simple process, just warm good olive oil with a sprig of fresh rosemary and a couple of cloves of garlic, flattened to better express their juices. Then let time, just a few minutes, really, do its work, letting the flavors meld while cooking the beans.
COOK & SHOCK & DRY THE BEANS Cook whole fresh green beans in well-salted water until just tender. Prepare what's called an "ice water bath" — just a bowl of ice water, large enough to submerge the beans all at once, have it ready before the beans are done. Once the beans are cooked, drain the hot water and drop the beans into the ice water bath. The "shock" of cold water stops the beans from cooking further, that means they stay bright and fresh and crisp.
DRY THE BEANS! This is such an important step. Do be sure to dry the beans well, otherwise the salad will be slightly watery. We don't want that! Here's how. After the beans are fully cool, drain them again, then arrange on a double layer of paper towels. Use another double layer of towels to pat the beans dry.
FINISH THE SALAD Gently toss the beans with a tablespoon of the infused oil, arrange on a platter or serving dish, then sprinkle with thinly sliced shallot, ribbons of basil and good salt.

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COMPLIMENTS!
"... you are so right, the beans are so wonderful and delicious." ~ Sherry
"What a terrific dish! I've made it 3 times already!" ~ Anonymous
"Tried this dish last night. ... even my guest asked for the recipe." ~ Sparkling Mimi

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CHILLED GREEN BEAN SALAD
with ROSEMARY & GARLIC OIL

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4

ROSEMARY & GARLIC OIL
(enough for 4 pounds of beans or 1 pound of beans and other uses)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife

BEANS
Big pot of well-salted water
1 pound fresh green beans, ends snipped
Big bowl of ice water

TO FINISH
Fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
1 bulb shallot, peeled and sliced cross-wise into thin rings
Good salt, such as Maldon or fleur de sel or another large-grain flaky salt (don't skip this salt, it somehow makes the dish)

ROSEMARY & GARLIC OIL In a small saucepan, gently warm the olive oil, rosemary and garlic just until the garlic begins to sizzle. Turn off the heat and let the rosemary and garlic flavors infuse the oil while continuing with the beans.

BEANS While the oil infuses, bring the water to a boil. Drop in the beans and let them cook for about 7 minutes, until done but still bright green and quite crispy. Drain the beans and immediately immerse into the ice water, let cool for a minute or two and then drain again. Place the beans on a double layer of paper towels and pat to dry.

TO FINISH Toss the beans with about 1 tablespoon of the still-warm oil, reserving the rest for another purpose (or more beans, tomorrow). (Stop here if making ahead of time.) Arrange on a serving plate, sprinkle with basil, shallot rings and salt.

TO MAKE AHEAD Cook the beans, toss in the oil, then refrigerate. Arrange on a serving plate, let warm to room temperature, then sprinkle with basil, shallot and salt.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
Be generous with salt in the water and on top, it really "makes" green beans, even beans fresh from the garden. Health-wise, if we eat "no processed food", we have few worries about salt intake.
I've learned that two garlic cloves are really important to this dish, as is flattening/smashing the garlic vs just chopping the cloves into two or three pieces: it makes sense, a smashed clove has more surface area from which to release its natural oils.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Serving (assumes 4): 66 Calories; 3g Tot Fat; 1g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 7mg Sodium; 9g Carb; 4g Fiber; 2g Sugar; 2g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS Old Points 1 & PointsPlus 2 & SmartPoints 2 & Freestyle 1 & myWW green 1 & blue 1 & purple 1 & future WW points

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More Favorite Green Bean Salads

~ Summer Green Bean Salad with Corn & Pickled Onion ~
~ Fresh Green Bean Salad with Asian Dressing ~
~ Fresh Three-Bean Salad ~
~ Succotash Salad with Green Beans, Lima Beans, Corn & Tomatoes ~
~ Whole-Grain Salad with Beets, Beans & Corn ~
~ Falling In Love with Green Beans: Favorite Recipes ~
~ more green bean recipes ~
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