BRAISED SUMMER SQUASH AND GREEN BEANS
BRAISED SUMMER SQUASH AND GREEN BEANS
An ode to soft-cooked vegetables
Early in my cooking career I was taught that vegetables should be cooked al dente; barely cooked through with a crisp bite. I followed this rule for many years, eating many a squeaky green bean. I didn’t learn that there were other (perhaps less beautiful, but oftentimes more delicious) ways to cook vegetables until I started working at a restaurant in New York City called Prune. Early on in my time at Prune I was responsible for a dish of braised green beans in tons of olive oil and anise hyssop. The beans cooked in the olive oil for ages until there wasn’t a sign of bright green left, just holding together - tender beans drenched in anise-scented olive oil. A revelation! I still love a firm, just warmed through steamed asparagus, or a quickly charred piece grilled zucchini, but these days I tend to prefer a soft-cooked vegetable.
My braised summer squash and green beans recipe draws inspiration from Prune’s olive oil braised green beans and a dish from my mom’s Southern heritage - stewed summer squash. I love these two vegetables cooked together to near mush.
Photos by Ben Turner, whose work you can find here.
I’ve written a basic recipe below, but this dish also does well with the addition of fresh or canned tomatoes (add early on with the zucchini and beans), a big drizzle of pomegranate molasses at the end, or any spices, herbs, or citrus peels you might enjoy. Feel free to play around with what you have on hand.
I eat this dish most often with grilled meat like lamb or sausages. It’s also great with fish, or as a sauce for pasta. It’s good cold, too. I recently brought a leftover pint of it with me on a flight and it made the best lunch with a side of cheese and crackers.
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BRAISED SUMMER SQUASH AND GREEN BEANS - serves 4-6 as a side dish
Click here for a printable PDF of the recipe without photos
¼ cup cooking olive oil
1 medium white onion or spring onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled, rough chopped or left whole
1 1/2 lb green beans, stem trimmed and beans sliced in half lengthwise - about 2-3 inch pieces
1 1/2 lb summer squash or zucchini, sliced into 1/2 - 1 inch rounds
2 bay leaves (or a couple sprigs of rosemary or thyme)
Salt and black pepper to taste
¾ cup roughly chopped tender herbs like basil, mint, anise hyssop, or parsley
2 tablespoons finishing olive oil, or any olive oil that tastes delicious to you
Place a medium sized pot (ideally a dutch oven, but anything will do) over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, bay leaves, and sliced onions. Add a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook 6-8 minutes, adjusting the heat if needed so the onions don’t brown. After onions have softened, add garlic. Cook 1 minute.
Add zucchini and green beans, a big pinch of salt and stir well so everything is combined. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
The moisture content of your zucchini can vary a lot - some are super fresh and don’t have a lot of liquid to give, some will pool with liquid. After 5 minutes check things out and see what’s going on. If it’s totally dry, add 1/4 cup of water, adjust heat so you have a nice low simmer but nothing is browning, and cover with the lid again. If there’s a pool of zucchini juices, you may want to increase the heat and cook with the lid off to evaporate some excess liquid.
Cook for 20-30 minutes, checking and stirring every 5-10 minutes to make sure that the vegetables cook evenly. If all of the liquid has evaporated at any point, add a few tablespoons of water at a time to prevent any browning.
We are looking for tender, soft, mushy vegetables that still mostly hold their shape. No al dente. Nothing will be bright green. This is not the most photogenic dish, but it will be very delicious.
After the vegetables have softened, remove bay leaves, thyme, or rosemary if using, and add 3/4 cup roughly chopped tender herbs of choice. Stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. Summer squash and green beans can take a surprising amount of salt. Turn off heat and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of your best olive oil. And eat!
