Amalfi Green Beans
This was a little different sounding when I made it, but it was absolutely delicious.
This was a little different sounding when I made it, but it was absolutely delicious.
- Carbohydrate 23.1804092412666 g
- Cholesterol 14.1936079463658 mg
- Fat 10.2364302192055 g
- Fiber 4.93263492372454 g
- Protein 7.27555403230178 g
- Saturated Fat 3.33099652265567 g
- Serving Size 1 1 cup (295g)
- Sodium 598.205747344369 mg
- Sugar 18.2477743175421 g
- Trans Fat 1.18664616414887 g
- Calories 208 calories
Step-by-step
- In a skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove.
- Brown mushrooms and cook onion with garlic and basil in drippings until tender.
- Add soup and water.
- Freeze.
- To Serve Now: Add green beans and continue simmering until tender.
- Remove from heat and toss to mix well.
- Spoon into a heated serving dish.
- Serve hot.
- To Freeze: Seal sauce in plastic containers or Ziplocs. Label and freeze.
- To Thaw: (Stovetop) Thaw at room temperature or under hot water - enough to loosen from container and place in saucepan and heat on top of the stove, add green beans and continue cooking until they are cooked according to package directions.
- Optional: Garnish with bacon.
Rendering Fat and Building the Foundation
Bacon provides the initial cooking medium and depth through rendered animal fat. Slicing three strips in half increases the surface area touching the skillet. Cook over medium heat until the strips reach a crisp visual cue, leaving behind rendered lipids in the pan. Mushrooms contain high water content and require direct contact with this hot fat to brown properly. Sautéing sliced mushrooms and chopped onions in the remaining bacon drippings triggers the Maillard reaction at roughly 300 degrees Fahrenheit, creating savory compounds that define the base of the dish.
Acid and Umami Interaction
Condensed tomato soup acts as a concentrated flavor vehicle containing natural glutamates and acidity. Combining tomatoes with garlic and crushed basil balances the earthy notes of the mushrooms. Simmering the soup mixture allows excess moisture to evaporate, thickening the sauce so it clings uniformly to the vegetables rather than pooling in the dish. This concentration step elevates the sugar content naturally present in the canned soup base.
Integrating Vegetables and Storage
Frozen Italian green beans already underwent blanching, which deactivates enzymes that cause structural degradation. Simmering them directly in the tomato sauce allows the porous green bean tissues to absorb the seasoned liquid via osmosis. For batch cooking, freeze the sauce component separately from the green beans for up to three months. Storing them apart prevents the green beans from becoming waterlogged during the thawing process.
