Savory Green Beans

I've made this recipe a million times and it turned out great, so it was to be the guaranteed winner. Also, for the presentation, it was adding the greens and reds to the plate. Damn. When you overcook the beans, that doesn't work out so well - they lose color. Granted, I used Trader Joe's frozen beans instead of fresh as a time saver. This was the first time I'd ever made it with frozen, so I'm sure that made a big difference, too. Lessons learned.

The recipe comes from Treebeard's in Houston and their cookbook. I can't say enough good things about this restaurant and this book. It is a very solid basic. I would highly recommend it as someone's second cookbook ever, after The Joy of Cooking. From their site, it looks like it's in the 8th printing. My copy is a 2nd printing, so I don't know how much has changed in the intervening 14 years, but I think it'd be a safe bet.

TREEBEARDS' SAVORY GREEN BEANS

Serves 4 to 6.

Green beans take on a whole new flavor when combined with tomatoes. two kinds of peppers and wonderful herbs.

1 pound fresh green beans
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup water
3/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon savory
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 medium tomatoes, chopped

Wash and string beans. Set aside.

In 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. melt butter and saute onion and peppers about 5 minutes or until tender. Add water and seasonings. Bring to boil and add green beans. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add tomatoes and continue cooking until beans are tender. about 10 minutes.

Tidwell, Dan, Jamie Mize and Janie Baur. Treebeards Cookbook. Houston: Treebeards, Inc., 1993, p. 187.