Simple Cooking: Green Beans with Bacon and Almonds

By Caitlin Klein in Food on Apr 25, 2011 6:00PM

Green bean season is quickly approaching - peak months are May through October. Here's a quick and simple recipe for those beautiful greenies we know you'll be picking up at markets over the spring and summer.

When buying green beans, look for bright green pods that are crisp. They should snap when bent. Avoid brownish beans, beans with scars, and beans with wrinkly skin. Eat your beans within 2-3 days of purchase; wait longer than that, and they will soften and lose some of their crunchy texture.

Chicagoist's Green Beans with Bacon and Almonds (Serves 4)

1 pound of green beans
4 strips of bacon
½ cup almond slivers
2 ½ Tablespoons butter

Start by frying the bacon and toasting the almonds. Crumble the bacon and set both ingredients aside for later use.

Rinse the green beans and trim the ends. Boil an inch of water in a saucepan. Once boiling, use a steamer insert or a steaming basket with a lid to steam the beans for 6-7 minutes. If you don't have a steaming insert or basket, it’s cool. Just throw the beans in. They won't get hurt.

Keep an eye on your beans. We recommend a shorter cooking time, which results in a bean that is tender, but still had some body to it. The key is to bring the beans out while they are still very bright green. If you wait too long, they will devolve to a dark, mushy green that brings you dangerously close to bad school lunch territory.

Strain your beans and put them into a serving dish. Roughly chop the butter into small cubes and put on top of the beans immediately. As the butter melts, toss the beans to coat. Top with the bacon and almonds. Toss the whole shebang tableside before serving.