Simple Measure

This week Jared and I had the pleasure of welcoming some old friends to town as house guests for an evening.

And that meant we needed to buckle down and tidy the place up.

Not that these guys are picky or anything – they’ve been traveling across the country for weeks, sleeping in affordably-priced motel rooms and on floors – but the apartment was practically begging for a spring clean.

It’s an event that’s always a little tumultuous around here. I attack the kitchen and bathroom, while Jared soldiers through the studio and living room areas.

The cat, wound up by the frenzy of movement, skitters around the apartment, trying to make us stop and join her in a game of tag. And that cat plays a mean game of tag — it’s tough to resist.

Sorry, Twitch. No time for games tonight. With our guests arriving the next day, we were in for some heavy-duty scrambling to get the place into shape.

The situation demanded a dinner with zero lingering. No candles. No thoughtful conversation about the day’s work. Nope, we needed to fill ‘er up quick so we could dive right into the cleaning action.

This super-easy green bean salad did the trick.

Lightly cooked green beans, a dash of lemon, extra virgin olive oil and cracked pepper, blanketed in curls of Parmesan and studded with toasted walnuts – it couldn’t have been easier to fix.

We ate fast, but not because we were in so much of a hurry… we just couldn’t put our forks down after taking the first bite.

Anyone want to invite us to a potluck or cook out in the near future? If so, I think I’ll be packing a big Tupperware of this to share with you all.

Green Bean Salad
From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables

Serves 4 – 6 as a side, 2 as dinner.

1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 pound fresh green beans, well-washed

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 Tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice (a little more than 1/2 a lemon)

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (break out the good stuff)

5 oz Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved (about 3/4 cup, or more, if you’re cheese fanatics like me and Jared)

1. Heat a heavy, dry skillet over high. Add the walnuts and stir frequently until they’ve begun to brown and you can smell them toasting. Careful – these burn fast. You’ll want to pull them off as soon as they start to toast. Put the walnuts aside in a large bowl.

2. While the skillet is heating, fill up a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Toss in the beans and the tsp of salt and let them boil, until they begin to get tender and brighter green. 3 – 5 minutes will do, but don’t overcook. Your beans should still have a crunch to them.

3. When the beans are done, drain them in a colander and run cold water over them until cool. Shake out all excess water and add them to the bowl with the walnuts. Toss together and add more salt and the pepper to taste.

4. Combine the olive oil and lemon juice in a small bowl or pan and whisk well. Pour the dressing over the beans and gently toss until they are evenly coated. Plate the bean salad and top each portion with the Parmesan shavings.

See, didn’t I tell you it was simple?