Ingredients
3 Tbsp/45 ml extra-virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil
4 shallots (total weight about 240g), thinly sliced into rings
2 Tbsp raw unsalted pine nuts, sunflower, or pumpkin seeds
1 ½ lb/680 g green beans, trimmed
2 whole black garlic pods, smashed into a paste
2 Tbsp white or yellow miso
¼ cup Tbsp/60 ml water
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a 12 in/30.5cm stainless-steel skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots with ¼ tsp fine sea salt, and sauté until the shallots turn golden brown and crisp, the time will vary depending on the color (it took me 13 minutes). If at any point the pan gets too hot and the shallots start to burn, reduce the heat to low, add 1 to 2 Tbsp of cold water and continue to cook. Transfer the shallots to a small plate or bowl. Taste one or two shallots to see if they’re salted enough or else season them with a little salt.
- Don’t wipe the skillet, add the pine nuts, and cook over medium heat, until they turn golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate or bowl.
- Add the remaining 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high. Add the green beans with ¼ tsp fine sea salt, and cook until the beans turn bright green, tender but crisp, 5 to 8 minutes (the cooking time can vary just like the shallots). Add the black garlic and miso, followed by the water, and vinegar, and fold the beans to coat them in the mixture. Cook until most of the liquid evaporates, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with fine sea salt if needed.
- Transfer the green beans to a serving plate. Garnish with crispy shallots and pine nuts. Serve warm.
Notes
- Both shallots (the caramelization of onions, leeks, and shallots is notoriously difficult to estimate) and green beans have unpredictable cooking times that depend on the vegetable and the heat source, among other things. The easiest way to know when they’re ready is to check them as they cook.
- Black garlic is a fermented form of garlic, and you can find it in grocery and specialty spice stores as well as online. It’s sweet to taste with lovely caramel notes and lacks the pungency of garlic.
- I prefer using white or yellow miso as they are less salty than the red variety.
- Be careful while salting as miso is salty, to begin with.
- I recommend making this the day of. You can make it several hours ahead of time, it reheats well in the microwave. However, don’t cook and keep it warm in the oven or a warming drawer, as the green color of the beans will turn dull with sustained heat.
