Great green beans

by Nick
(Ashland, Oregon)

I wanted to cook a nice dinner for my dad on Fathers Day. I made wiener-schnitzel with saute green beans and horseradish mashed potatoes.

I"ll contribute the schnitzel recipe later as it turned out to be "the best thing i ever cooked for my parents". That's what my mom said and I believed her as my little brother who is very picky devoured his portion before every one else was even half way done. Well on to the green beans.

Get your self 3/4 a pound of long green beans.Wash you beans and then cut off the tips of your beans.
Take a good sized flat pan and pour in about 3 tbls of extra virgin olive oil and heat pan on medium heat till hot. while waiting for pan to heat chop up 4 to 5 cloves of garlic to a fine mince. Next take a generous hand full of fresh basil (lemon basil if you can find it) and chop up in to ribbons. Add the beans to the hot pan and after a minute add the minced garlic. Add a good pinch of salt and a good helping of pepper but dont over do it. now while the beans are cooking take a small lemon and slice it in two. Cook the beans till they are a bit tender to the touch but not mushy, you want to keep them some what crisp. In the final minutes of cooking add your basil. When your sure the beans are done take off heat and put them on a plate. Now squeeze the lemon all over your beans and serve or if your main dish isnt done yet put the plate in to an oven set to warm or the lowest setting you have.

These beans are awesome and could go well with countless mains.

Good luck with your endeavors in the kitchen and enjoy the beans!

Nick