Rosemary is huge in Spanish cooking, and sometimes it turns up in unexpected places, like this side dish of string beans tossed with oil perfumed with rosemary, garlic, and lemon. (Lemon-scented olive oil is available in many grocery stores now, but it can be pricey. If you’re up for it, try my homemade version, which follows this recipe.) These beans are delicious at room temperature, so they can be made a little ahead, which, together with the fact that there is no mayo in the recipe, makes them a lovely dish for a picnic or barbecue on a hot day.
Ingredients
- 1 pound string beans, ends trimmed
- 2 tablespoons lemon olive oil, homemade or store-bought, or plain extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 finely grated lemon zest
- Kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
How to Make It
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Slip in the beans and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander.
- Gently heat the lemon olive oil or plain olive oil and rosemary in a large deep skillet over low heat until the rosemary is softened and very fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-low, add the garlic, and cook until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- Remove the rosemary sprigs, raise the heat to medium, and add the string beans. Toss until coated with the rosemary-garlic oil and heated through. Stir in the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
