Runner Beans With Toasted Almonds and Lemon Thyme...
Back at the end of April my husband and I took a trip to West Malling Kent to walk around Manor Country Park and visit the local farmers market. While strolling through the lovely little streets we spotted a plant sale. We were on the look out for tomato plants but it was the runner bean seedlings that caught our eye. There were only 4 left so we bought the lot! They cost us a whopping £2.40. Not a bad considering we are already on our 4th crop of runner beans.
As it was our wedding anniversary a few weeks ago I wanted to make a really special meal. I sautéed the runner beans in butter and added some minced garlic and lemon thyme from our garden. I added toasted flaked almonds toward the end of cooking and sprinkled a few on top just before serving. We had this as a side to dish to grilled fillet steak and a jacket potato.
Luna Raye’s Runner Beans With Toasted Almonds and Lemon Thyme
(serves 2 as a side dish)
Ingredients
Handful of fresh runner beans (ideally from your own garden!)
1 Tbsp salted butter
1 clove garlic minced
1Tbsp chopped lemon thyme
2-3 Tbsp toasted flaked almonds
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a small pan add the flaked almonds and gently toast them over a low heat (this should take 2-4 minutes)
When the almonds are toasted set them to one side
Wash and trim the ends off runner beans (My beans didn’t need to be de-stringed but if you need to de-string your beans use a sharp knife and carefully go down each side of the bean)
Slice the beans diagonally into thirds (or bite sized pieces)
Melt butter over moderate heat in a frying pan or wok and add the beans
Toss the beans around in the butter so they are coated
Add the minced garlic and chopped lemon thyme
Toss everything around again and stir occasionally for 6-8 minutes
Add ¾ of the toasted almonds and stir again
When everything is mixed together, add to a serving dish and top with the remaining toasted almonds
Enjoy!
Runner Beans With Toasted Almonds and Lemon Thyme
NOTE: I learned something very important about runner beans (and all beans in general) I had no idea that they should NEVER BE EATEN RAW. Thanks to this very informative post I have put an end to my practice of nibbling the beans straight from the vine. Always always cook your beans! They contain a poisonous lectin called Phytohaemagglutinin which can cause nausea, vomiting, severe diarrhea and in some cases even affect blood pressure and breathing.