5-ingredient, 8

Last October, when green beans were still arriving in our farm share , I deeply regretted not sharing months earlier one of my favorite ways to prepare them.

I learned the recipe seven years ago, and it’s possible you know it, too, because Kristen Miglore wrote about it in her Genius Recipes column on Food52.

The genius of this recipe is that it doesn’t call for boiling or blanching or shocking the green beans. Rather the beans enter a skillet with a bit of butter, crushed-but-not-peeled garlic cloves, water (or stock), and a pinch of salt and pepper. After 8 minutes covered over medium heat, the green beans emerge cooked but not mushy, glazed in a light, buttery sauce infused with just the right amount of garlic. To finish, you shave parmesan over the top and shower with more freshly cracked pepper.

Every time I make this recipe, I am astonished by how effortlessly it comes together and even more, by how quickly it disappears — children and adults alike love this one.

Friends, the summer green beans are so good right now, and if you haven’t given this one a go, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s maybe the lowest-effort, biggest-reward recipe I know.

PS: Blistered, Garlicky Green Beans

Simple Glazed Green Beans, Step by Step

In a skillet, combine 1 pound of green beans, 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of water (or stock), 2 cloves garlic (crushed but not peeled), salt, and pepper.

Cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn the heat to low. Cook for 8 minutes.

Serve just like this …

… or shave parmesan over the top if you wish. ( And you do! )

Description

Adapted from Kristen Miglore’s recipe on Food52: Michel Richard’s Glazed and Glistening Haricots Verts

• 1 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup water or stock
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed but not peeled
• Kosher salt or flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan to taste, optional

1. Combine the green beans, butter, water, and garlic cloves in a large skillet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer, then immediately turn heat to low once water is simmering.
2. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the beans are cooked through but not mushy. Uncover. Toss the beans in their sauce and taste. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste, then transfer the beans to a serving dish. Shave parmesan over the top if you wish. Crack more pepper over the top if you wish, too.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American, French

Description

Adapted from Kristen Miglore’s recipe on Food52: Michel Richard’s Glazed and Glistening Haricots Verts

• 1 pound green beans, stem ends trimmed
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup water or stock
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed but not peeled
• Kosher salt or flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• freshly grated Parmesan to taste, optional

1. Combine the green beans, butter, water, and garlic cloves in a large skillet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, place over medium-high heat, and bring to a simmer, then immediately turn heat to low once water is simmering.
2. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the beans are cooked through but not mushy. Uncover. Toss the beans in their sauce and taste. Adjust with salt and pepper to taste, then transfer the beans to a serving dish. Shave parmesan over the top if you wish. Crack more pepper over the top if you wish, too.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 8 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American, French

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2022/07/31/5-ingredient-8-minute-skillet-green-beans/

These buttery soft pretzels are super easy to make, require no boiling, and a quick one-hour rise. They are a huge crowd-pleaser! Soft, delicious, and truly irresistible straight out of the oven.!

I knew I would love Vicki the moment I met her, which was two summers ago during our annual trip to Lake George with Ben’s family. Vicki is my brother-in-law’s girlfriend, she is 100% Greek, and food is her love language.

Five minutes after her arrival, she knocked on our door, her hands loaded with goodies, coloring books and colored pencils for the children, and an enormous Tupperware filled with koulourakia, the twisted Greek Easter cookie, perfect for dunking in coffee or tea, for us.

As the week went on, Vicki would bestow us with more treats, including chicken cordon bleu, tacos served in flat-bottomed, stand-up shells, and, most memorably, these buttery soft pretzels. When I asked Vicki if it was OK if I shared the recipe here, she said, Of course , noting she got the recipe years ago by searching online for an Auntie Anne’s pretzel recipe.

PS: Homemade Soft Pretzel Rolls

Super Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients: flour, yeast, sugar, salt, water, and oil.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

Add the water and oil.

Mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Knead briefly until…

… dough comes together and feels tacky to the touch, about 1 minute.

Alternatively, this can all be mixed in a stand mixer, which will take 2 to 3 minutes total. I actually prefer making these in the stand mixer now — it’s fast and less messy.

Transfer the dough to a bowl and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour.

The dough may not necessarily double in volume.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface.

Divide the dough into 12 portions, using flour as needed:

If you care about being precise, you can cut and weigh each one — 75 grams each is about right.

Roll each portion into a 12-inch log. You’re going to roll them out longer afterward, but I find that rolling them once, then letting them rest, allows the gluten to relax a bit and allows you to roll them out longer more easily the next time around.

After all 12 have been rolled out once, roll each one out to 22 to 24 inches long:

How to Shape Pretzels

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

I like to transfer the pretzels to a lightly oiled sheet pan as I shape.

Once shaped, dissolve 1/2 cup baking soda into 4 cups of hot water. You can use hot tap water or you can boil water.

Working with one pretzel at a time, dip each one into the water, then place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

Sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 425ºF for 10 to 12 minutes.

Brush with melted butter immediately.

Transfer to a cooling rack immediately.

Serve warm. So good.

Description

These homemade fresh soft pretzels are buttery soft in texture, perfectly sweet and salty, and astonishingly simple to make: they require a quick kneading (by hand or in a mixer), a simple shaping, and no boiling. They are a massive hit with adults and children alike and truly irresistible straight out of the oven.

Adapted from my brother-in-law’s most wonderful girlfriend, Vicki Roberts.

Notes:

• Yeast: If you are using active dry yeast, sprinkle it over the warm water with 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Let it stand for 15 minutes; then proceed with the recipe.
• Salt: I’ve been using fine sea salt in my bread recipes recently, but kosher salt is fine, too.
• Sugar : I tried several batches with lower amounts of sugar, and they just weren’t quite the same in texture, taste, and appearance.

For the dough:

• 5 cups ( 640 grams ) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ( 8 grams ) instant yeast, see notes above if using active-dry
• 1.5 teaspoons ( 9 grams ) salt
• 1/2 cup ( 110 grams ) sugar
• 1.5 cups ( 350 grams ) warm water
• 1 tablespoon ( 15 grams ) neutral oil or olive oil

For finishing:

• 1/2 cup ( 115 g ) baking soda
• 4 cups hot water
• Kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons melted butter

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add the water and oil and stir with a rubber spatula until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to knead the dough briefly in the bowl, then turn the dough out onto a work surface and continue kneading until the dough comes together and feels tacky to the touch, about a minute. Alternatively, you can do this all in your stand mixer, which will take roughly 3 minutes total. (The stand mixer is my preferred method.)
2. Place the dough back in the mixing bowl, cover with a towel or bowl cover and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour. Longer is fine, too. Dough will not necessarily double in volume. This is fine.
3. Heat oven to 425ºF.
4. Turn dough out onto a work surface and portion into 12 pieces, using flour as needed if dough is sticky. Note: If you want identically sized pretzels, weigh your total dough, then divide by 12. (Each portion should roughly weigh 75 grams.) Also: Be careful about using too much flour here: it will make it difficult to roll out…just use a sprinkling to prevent the dough from sticking.
5. Roll each portion into a 12-inch (roughly) log. You’ll roll each piece longer afterward, but the brief rest will allow the gluten to relax, making them easier to roll out longer later.
6. Once all the portions have been rolled, continue to roll each portion to 22 to 24 inches long. Twist each piece into a pretzel shape. See video or photos for guidance. At this point, I like to transfer the shaped pretzels to a lightly oiled sheet pan.
7. When all of the pretzels are shaped, dissolve the 1/2 cup of baking soda in 4 cups of hot water. You can use hot tap water here or boil 4 cups of water — I’ve been using my electric kettle. Stir to dissolve the baking soda.
8. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
9. Working with one pretzel at a time, drop it into the water. Use a spider to remove it and transfer it to a parchment-lined sheet pan. (Note: I like to drop the pretzel in top-side down, then I use the spider to remove it and flip it onto the sheet pan top-side up. I find dipping it top-side down ensures the top of the pretzel gets sufficiently coated in the baking-soda solution, which promotes more even browning.) Repeat until all pretzels have been dipped.
10. Sprinkle pretzels with salt. Transfer pan — I like to bake one pan at a time — to the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.
11. Remove pan from the oven and immediately brush the hot pretzels with the melted butter. Transfer pretzels to a cooling rack. Repeat with remaining pan of pretzels.
12. Let cool briefly. Serve warm. Pretzels reheat nicely — I love them halved, toasted, and spread with butter.

• Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Category: Bread
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American