UPGRADED GREEN
BEAN CASSEROLE
This recipe relies on blanching as a parcooking technique
more than the buttered snap peas do. In the snap pea
recipes, you could potentially cook the peas from start to
finish in the skillet. It’d take a bit of skill to do and the end
results wouldn’t be that great, but it’s doable. This recipe,
on the other hand, would not be possible without
blanching. Put raw green beans in a casserole, and they
simply won’t cook through. The classic Campbell’s green
bean casserole is a staple on many American tables,
particularly around the holidays, but there are some easy
ways you can improve on the out-of-the-can version.
Here’s the deal: If the only thing you do is substitute
fresh green beans for the canned variety, you’re giving
your casserole a major upgrade. But substitute your own
mushroom sauce made out of real mushrooms (using
chicken stock and a splash of soy add a big umami boost
to the dish) instead of canned cream of mushroom soup
and top the whole thing off with some crisply fried
shallots, and you can proudly say goodbye to Sandra Lee
and proclaim that semi-homemade is a thing of the past.
My fried shallots were inspired by Thai-style fried
shallots, something that you should have on hand in your
kitchen all the time. I make mine in batches of a couple
pounds (to cook more than what’s called for in this recipe,