This is good for winter holidays. I usually make it on Christmas.
- Carbohydrate 9.75308369636716 g
- Cholesterol 22.8975 mg
- Fat 16.1304348045568 g
- Fiber 4.85041700369275 g
- Protein 3.09716568693637 g
- Saturated Fat 6.13220761596206 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (135g)
- Sodium 18.6314344282051 mg
- Sugar 4.9026666926744 g
- Trans Fat 0.983682577881292 g
- Calories 183 calories
Step-by-step
- Boil green beans and 2 tsp salt for about 5 minutes or until crispy-tender.
- Drain and rinse.
- Put green beans aside and in the same pot, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add pecans, worcestershire, salt and pepper and cook 3-4 minutes stirring frequently.
- Pecans should be fragrant.
- Add beans and cook while tossing for about 1 minute or until beans are done.
Overcooking green beans until they turn khaki and lose all internal resistance is the standard error that ruins many vegetable dishes. Culinary tradition often demands prolonged boiling, yet modern palates prefer vegetables retaining structural integrity and bright pigmentation. Boiling green beans in salted water for precisely five minutes achieves this exact balance, moving the pods from raw to vibrant green without collapsing their cellular walls.
Assessing doneness requires visual and physical verification rather than guesswork or timing alone. Piercing the thickest part of a pod with the tip of a paring knife should offer slight resistance, similar to puncturing a crisp apple, before the blade slides through completely. Rinsing the drained beans immediately in cold water arrests the cooking process instantly by dropping the internal temperature, preserving both texture and color before they rejoin the pan.
Butter contains milk solids that brown rapidly when heated alongside chopped nuts, releasing nutty aromas within three to four minutes over medium heat. Stirring continuously prevents these solids from burning while drawing out the natural oils in the pecans. Combining the cooked beans with this warm fat mixture for one final minute coats each pod evenly and reheating them without softening their crunch.
Refrigerated leftovers maintain their quality for up to three days when stored in an airtight container. Reheating these leftovers gently in a skillet over low heat works better than microwaving, which can make the pecans soggy and overcook the tender pods.
