Recipe: Green and Yellow Beans with Olive-Shallot Butter (food processor)

GREEN AND YELLOW BEANS WITH OLIVE-SHALLOT BUTTER

10 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
5 to 6 fresh basil leaves (optional)
1/2 pound yellow wax beans, trimmed
1/2 pound green beans, such as haricots verts or Blue Lake, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a food processor, combine the olives, shallot, garlic, butter and basil, and process to mix well. Set aside.

Cook the yellow and green beans separately, as they cook in different amounts of time. Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of salted water to a rapid boil over high heat. Add the yellow beans and boil until tender-crisp, 5-6 minutes, or slightly longer depending on the tenderness and age of the beans. Scoop out the beans with a strainer, drain well, and plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water. Leave them to cool while you cook the green beans.

Cook the green beans in the same pot of water in the same way, but decrease the cooking time to 3-5 minutes. When tender-crisp, drain and plunge the beans into ice-cold water until cool.

In a wide frying pan or saute pan, warm 2 tablespoons water over medium heat.

Drain the yellow and green beans and add them to the pan. Toss together until heated through.

Add the olive butter and toss with the beans until the butter coats the beans but has not melted into a puddle. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, adding salt only if necessary, as the olives are already salty. Transfer to a serving platter and serve at once.

Souce: Williams-Sonoma Collection: Vegetable by Marlena Spieler