Portuguese Green Beans with Potatoes (Plus Guest)

We've been on our annual jaunt to see cheery chums in Portugal. There's a lot more to the cuisine of that country than people think. Here's a recipe which I picked up. It's vegetarian (as promised this month), though I think I'd be tempted to use chicken stock.

The recipe suggests flat green beans. You are no friend of mine if you don't top AND tail them. The bay leaf is an ingredient which is very commonly used in Portuguese cuisine. Fresh or dried - either is fine. We have a bay tree in our garden which flourishes surprisingly well in the Scottish climate. The book also suggests that at the very end you might scatter either (a) marjoram flowers, or (b) dried oregano. Well, good luck with finding (a); as for (b), dried herbs as a garnish? I think not.

Use a wide deep pan.

Portuguese Green Beans and Potatoes

Ingredients

350g green beans, topped and tailed; 750g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks about 2 - 3 cm; 1 onion, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed; 1tbsp chopped parsley (flat or curly, your choice); about 3 tbsp olive oil; 25g butter; 1 - 2 bay leaves; 250ml vegetable stock; s & p.

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Sauté the onion in the oil until lightly golden. Add the garlic, parsley and bay leaves, and cook for a minute or two, being careful not to burn the garlic. Chuck in the beans and potatoes, and mix all the ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper, then add the butter and enough stock to cover the ingredients.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the potatoes are soft but not breaking up. This will take about 20 minutes, but check after 15.

The recipe suggests removing the pan from the heat, but leaving with the lid on for a nice soft, thick consistency. If you want to sprinkle anything on at the end, more parsley would seem to be the logical choice.

And staying on the continent, staying with green beans and staying vegetarian, here's a recipe I saw Michel Roux cooking on a boat on the Thames (on the telly, that is). Popularly served with steak, so I'm told. (Sorry, veggies.)

Green Beans Lyonnaise Style

Ingredients

400g fresh green beans, topped and tailed; 1 onion, finely chopped; 30g butter; 2tbsp white wine vinegar; s & p; chopped parsley to garnish.

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Boil the beans in well salted water until tender, then refresh (plunge into a bowl of iced water). In a pan large enough to hold the beans cook the onion in the butter over a medium heat until lightly covered. Mix in the beans, season with s & p, then cook for a further 5 minutes or so until the onion is golden. Check the seasoning, mix in the parsley and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Increase the heat in the pan then deglaze with the vinegar to free any wee bits of onion. Pour the liquid over the beans and serve at once.