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Creamy Green Beans – Oma's Grüne Bohnen

Cooking green beans, German-style, makes a wonderful side dish for almost any meal. Cooking the grüne Bohnen till just tender with a creamy white sauce is so traditional and so lecker! (Or use this quick method using just cream.)

This one is reminiscent of the way my Mutti cooked many vegetables. And, being green beans, the best herb to season them with is Bohnenkraut (bean herb) ... a type of summer savory.

Servings:

Makes 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1½ pounds (681 grams) frozen green beans
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter
• ½ cup (75 grams) finely diced onion
• 2 tablespoons (16 grams) all-purpose flour
• about ½ cup (120 milliliters) vegetable broth or water, if needed
• ½ teaspoon (0.5 gram) summer savory
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• chopped parsley (optional)

Instructions:

1. Place the frozen green beans in a saucepan and add enough water to almost cover the beans. Add the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 8 minutes or until just tender.
2. Pour the beans into a sieve to drain, reserving the cooking liquid. 
3. In the saucepan, melt the butter and add the onions. Sauté for several minutes until the onions are transparent, but not browned. 
4. Stir in the flour and cook for about 1 minute.
5. Stir in about 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and continue to cook while stirring. Simmer for about 5 minutes, adding more liquid if the sauce gets too thick. If you run out of cooking liquid, use vegetable broth or water.
6. Return the cooked beans to the sauce and stir in the savory. Season with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley, if using, and serve.

Hints:

• You can use this recipe for making peas and carrots. Use either canned or frozen, cook till tender and make the sauce the same way. Use parsley instead of savory.

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05.07.2023 revision update