Friday, January 27, 2012

Marinated Green Beans with Extra Garlic & Peppers


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A few years ago, we took a fabulous tour of Italy,
starting in Rome with an audience
with the Polish Pope, John Paul II
(us + 200 others!)
(my husband is of Polish heritage,
so this was extra special to him)
then going all the way down
the west side of the country,
we went past Anzio beach
where his older brother had landed during WWII.
Whizzing past Naples, we toured the ruins of Pompei,
(yes, we saw the *dirty pictures* on the walls)
We went to the beautiful Almafi coast,
and enjoyed Limoncello in Capri,

saw the BLUE Grotto
then motored back up to Florence

where we walked what felt like
every single mile of that beautiful city.
We also stayed in Venice, Italy
where we saw St. Marks Cathedral

and where I purchased some beautiful cutwork linens
(you can see some of them HERE)
right there, in the square.
I'm still trying to replicate their yummy pizza we ate for lunch!

Final stop was the European fashion capital of Milan
where we saw the ornate Duomo cathedral
The construction began in 1296 &
it is STILL the largest brick dome ever constructed.

We saw the world renowned La Scala opera house, too.
Throughout the trip, we enjoyed many WONDERFUL meals
but while driving between cities on the Autostrada,
we had lunch, cafeteria style,
at their rest stops where they
served the most delicious, room temperature
marinated green beans.
I have attempted, for years,
to duplicate that recipe,
to no avail but
when I tried this one by Marcella Hazen
featured at Mary's blog,
I knew I had found it!
Thank you, Mary!
sisters vvisit 014

I had been mistakenly using either red wine or balsamic
vinegar in my attempts. It needed the much milder
touch of white wine or champagne vinegar to
duplicate the flavors of Italy.
Occasionally, I add red, orange or yellow peppers
to the recipe for a spark of color.

Marinated Green Beans with Extra Garlic & Peppers

Marinated Green Beans with Garlic & Peppers ~ adapted from Marcella Hazen & One Perfect Bite

1 pound fresh green beans

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar (Do NOT substitute red or balsamic!)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed ~we LOVE garlic so feel free to use more if you do, too~

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
red, orange or yellow pepper strips (optional)


Mix parsley, basil, oregano, onion, garlic & vinegar in a bowl with a tight fitting lid. Let them marinate for 30 minutes.

Snap off ends of green beans, rinse & drop them into boiling salt water.
Drain beans while still very firm.
Add warm green beans to bowl with vinegar & herbs, then toss in the peppers now, too, if using them.
Marinate for at least 1 hour but you can leave them in as much as 5-6 hours.
Shake the bowl occasionally to make sure everything gets coated.
Serve beans at room temperature, adding olive oil and salt and pepper to taste just before serving. Yield: 6 servings.

Printable Recipe HERE.

I'll be partying with Michael Lee at
for her
Won't you come join in the fun?

Thanks for stopping by The Gazebo House.
I sure wish we had digital cameras when we took that tour.
All my photos are stuck in albums so I had to mooch some
from the web. I have given credit to each...its the
proper thing to do when you "borrow" others photos!
Oh & since this post fits into the parameters of Donna's
I'll be linking up with her, too.

15 comments:

  1. HI RETT!!!!
    Your Italian trip sounds divine, we were only in Florence, Rome, Naples one day each, but MAN we crammed as much into each day as we could!!!MY hubby says he saw the YOU know what in the sidewalk of Pompeii, but I missed it, he did not want to point it out, he said he was afraid I would take a pic of it!!!And Our group missed the naughty murals!!!!Your recipe sounds and LOOKS so good!!!You are a Marvelous cook!!!
    Have a great weekend
    hugs,
    jamie

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  2. Sounds like you could re-take the whole adventure just from your glorious memories. How awesome! Hope you are feeling better.

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  3. What wonderful memories you have of your Italy vacation! The green bean dish looks fabulous! I'm your newest follower (I thought I already was!!).

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  4. Rett,

    Sounds wonderful. I shall have to try the recipe. I have my pictures of Europe in albums too but I recently purchased a Flip pal scanner. Sue at Collecting Texas Gal talked about them and I ordered it from Amazon. Works wonderfully for those albums.

    Carol

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    1. I will have to check into that, Carol. Thanks for the tip!

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  5. What wonderful memories of what must have been a fantastic trip! I'm so glad you found a recipe that duplicates the flavors you member in the marinated green beans you had in Italy. They sound delicious!

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  6. Looks like a fun trip Rett! The beans sound great and I now have a craving for fresh green beans! Happy Weekend:@)

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  7. What a fantastic trip, Rett! It has always been my plan to eat my way through Europe!! I LOVE Marcella Hazen. I have 2 of her cookbooks and I never tire of the recipes. I have to try these green beans! Yum!!

    XO,
    Jane

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  8. What a trip! Thanks for the recipe, can't wait to make it.

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  9. Never mind the photos,dear Rett!Your post itself was a trip through Italy and back:)Thanks for telling us about your lovely trip - Italy has always fascinated me so much and so has its food.The green beans have a lovely vibrant color and I love the subtle tempering of beans with garlic and peppers - lovely dish!

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  10. oh I would love to go to Rome!! What an amazing trip you had. I must try the geen bean recipe it sounds amazing!!

    I posted a Grilled Tuna salad recipe that is to die for and a link to my daughters yummy pink arctic ice salad. Come on by and take a peek.

    Karin

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  11. Oh to take a trip to Italy... *sigh*... it's certainly on my Bucket List! I can only imagine romancing in Rome, feasting in Florence & munching my way thru Milan~ the airlines would charge me extra to sit in my seat to fly home :) Your marinated green beans sound delicious Rett! I love a convenience of a salad that is delicious served at room temperature!

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  12. I enjoyed your pictures....the best pizza I think I have ever had was on the Big Island of Hawaii....

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  13. How fun that you finally tracked down the recipe, Rett! Thanks for sharing! You had a fabulous trip! The blue grotto is on my bucket list! Have a great week!...hugs...Debbie

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment. I read them all & each one is so very special to me & I try really hard to return the visit!

fondly,
~Rett~