Meliz Berg’s Sautéed Herby Green Beans with Sesame and Pumpkin Seeds
Tender green beans are quickly pan-fried in veg stock for added flavour and topped with fresh parsley and toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds in this fresh and easy side dish.
Introduction
I LOVE cooking green vegetables in stock. Rather than boiling them first, giving the vegetables a light char in a hot pan brushed with olive oil, then adding a small amount of stock to be vigorously cooked down quickly on the highest heat possible, ensures that the vegetables will soak up all the flavours of the delicious stock, yet still remain tender. Crunchy toasted seeds add texture, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses adds a sweet, tartness to the cooked beans. Delicious served hot, warm or cold.
Ingredients
| ½ | chicken or vegetable stock cube |
| 150ml | boiling hot water |
| 2 tsp | sesame seeds |
| 2 tsp | pumpkin seeds |
| 2 tbsp | extra virgin olive oil |
| 400g | fine green beans |
| ¼ tsp | crushed/finely grated garlic |
| ½ tsp | dried mint |
| ¼ tsp | coarse black pepper |
| Small handful (10g) | fresh parsley leaves, finely chopped |
| A drizzle of | pomegranate molasses |
| A little sprinkling of | sea salt flakes (optional) |
Method
Wash the beans and dry them fully.
Dissolve the stock cube in the boiling water and leave to one side.
Place a large, shallow frying pan on a medium heat, and, once hot, add the sesame and pumpkin seeds and gently stir them for a couple of minutes until toasted. Remove the seeds to a plate and carefully give the pan a gentle wash and wipe, ensuring it is completely dry.
Add the olive oil to the pan on a medium heat on the largest and most powerful ring on your hob, and once hot, add the beans, without stirring, for a minute or so, so that they start to char ever so slightly. Give the beans a gentle stir, leave again for another minute or so before stirring through the garlic, then turn the heat up to the highest heat, and add the stock. The stock should vigorously bubble and will take a minute or so to reduce down. Once there is hardly any liquid left in the pan, stir through the dried mint and black pepper, then take the pan off the heat and stir through the parsley and most of the toasted seeds. Place the beans onto a serving dish, lightly drizzle with a little pomegranate molasses, sprinkle over the sea salt flakes (just a tiny pinch if using, as stock is already salty, but I do love the crunch of a few sea salt flakes), and the remaining toasted seeds.
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