Growing up, green bean casserole consisted entirely of canned goods. Canned green beans, canned cream of mushroom soup, and canned Durkee French fried onions were the primary ingredients. I still have a fondness for that version of this holiday favorite, but rich flavors of making it yourself from fresh ingredients give a whole new dimension to this old favorite. Since I don't eat dairy, we left the heavy cream out of the version we made at our house, but it's admittedly better tasting if you leave it in.
Green Bean Casserole Ingredients
1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed
1/3 lb porcini mushrooms, or favorite variety, sliced
4 shallots, 1 minced, 3 sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2-3 sprigs thyme
2 Tbl butter
1 Tbl flour
2 c veal stock, or beef stock (low sodium if not homemade)
1/4 c port, ruby or tawny
1/4 c heavy cream
Salt and pepper
1 Tbl parsley, chopped
Crispy Shallots for Topping
1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp onion powder
2 c canola or high heat oil
Preparation
1) Blanch green beans in boiling, salted water till bright green but still crisp; remove and cool; drain off all water and set aside in a medium sized baking dish
2) In a medium sauté pan brown sliced mushrooms in butter, thyme sprigs, and a little olive oil; add garlic and shallots and cook till fragrant; add to beans in baking dish and remove thyme
3) Add butter to sauté pan and melt; add flour and cook for 1-2 min then add stock and reduce by ½ till thickened; add port and cook another 3-4 min; add cream and heat to simmer; season with salt and pepper and pour over beans and mushrooms; mix to coat and cover with foil; bake at 350 degrees for approx 15-20 min or till bubbly
4) Meanwhile, mix the flour for the crispy shallots with the spices; heat the oil in a heavy sauce pan (cast iron is best) on medium high heat; add sliced shallots to the flour mixture and toss to coat
5) Shake extra flour off shallots and fry in small batches, they should float and brown quickly; remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain; sprinkle with salt
6) When beans are done top with crispy shallots and parsley
