Green Beans with Miso and Almonds

*Post by Angela.

On to auditioning Thanksgiving side dish #2! I'm a recent convert to green beans. They aren't something I ate a lot of growing up, and the green bean casseroles I had at other people's shindigs in early adulthood always confused me - the combination of canned cream soup, green beans and crunchy onion strings is a bit random, I think. Nevertheless, green beans are a traditional element of American Thanksgiving.

While I don't love the classic casserole idea, I do like to try to include some iteration of the side on the Turkey Day menu. I was immediately intrigued by this recipe by Anita Lo, which I adapted it slightly to my preferences. A bright and refreshing alternative to the casserole, this dish has the added bonuses of being incredibly easy and ammenable to being made ahead of time.  

List of ingredients:

• 1/4 cup white miso (I used mellow white miso from Whole Foods, which was delicious)
• 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions, dark-green parts only
• 3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp wasabi
• 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces 
• 1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds

First, I whisked together the miso, scallions, vinegar, wasabi, mustard, oil, and sugar in a small bowl until smooth, then seasoned to taste with salt. I set this aside for a moment.

I brought a big pot of salted water to a boil, then cooked green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes. To stop the cooking (so the beans kept their beautiful vibrant green color and snappy texture), using a slotted spoon I transferred the green beans to a large bowl of ice water to cool.

 

I drained the green beans well, placed in a large bowl, then poured the miso dressing over top and tossed to coat. I served the green beans up with the almonds as a garnish. I really, really liked the dressing so much - kicky, pungent, sweet, and almost creamy, it would be good on any vegetable (or even maybe seared scallops!). And I think it took me about 10 minutes total to make, which gives me a bit of wiggle room in my already tight Thanksgiving food prep schedule. This is definitely going on the menu.