Wonderful when made with thin French green beans called haricots verts, often available frozen year-round.
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds fresh or frozen green beans
- 4 to 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into strips
- 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Pimentón or more to taste
- 3 ounces cured ham, preferably Serrano, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Coarse sea salt, if needed
Directions
If using fresh beans, trim the ends and steam them until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Immediately plunge them into a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain and set aside. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the bell peppers, sautéing the peppers until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and the pimentón, stirring well to distribute the spice. Add the ham and the steamed beans. Season with black pepper and, if needed, salt (the ham itself may add enough salt), and stir the beans with tongs to heat through. If they seem dry, add the rest of the oil. When the beans are ready, taste and add more pimentón, black pepper, and/or salt as desired.
Yields 4 servings