Campbell Soup Company may have created the green bean casserole back in the ’50s, but it’s been a stalwart holiday favorite, not only for families here in the U.S. but also in Canada. It’s pretty delicious the original way if you are OK with eating canned food.
Always striving for fresh and local, I retraced some of the steps of the classic with fresh braised onions and mushrooms peppered with cumin seeds, garlic and kari (curry) leaves and a creamy coconut and almond sauce. Almond butter is an incredible addition to plant-based cooking, adding a mysterious meatlike quality to stews or bakes. I topped it with raclette and goat cheese, and it was a house favorite! Serve a cheesy version or the plant-based, which was my preference.
Serves 6
ingredients
1 pound greens beans, washed and dried
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup minced onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 to 3 stalks kari (curry) leaves (optional)
2 cups minced mushrooms, preferably wild
2 tablespoons grated unpeeled ginger
1 serrano pepper, minced
2 tablespoons chickpea flour
2 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 teaspoons sea salt
4 to 6 ounces goat cheese (optional)
2 cups grated cheese (optional)
To garnish, pick from_
Fried, sliced garlic cloves
Fried kari leaves
Fresh herbs (such as cilantro, mint, parsley, etc.)
Toasted sliced almonds
Grated fresh coconut
instructions
Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Take the tops off the beans and place them directly in a 8 by-10-inch casserole pan.
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the olive oil and cumin seeds. Within seconds, add the minced onions. Cook the onions for 7 to 8 minutes on medium heat until they have brown edges.
Add the garlic, kari leaves, mushrooms, ginger, and serrano pepper and continue cooking the mix.
When the mushrooms have cooked through, keeping the heat on medium, add the chickpea flour and fry the mixture for another 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture will probably stick to the bottom of the pan, but do not worry; it will all come off.
Next add the coconut milk, almond butter, and salt and turn the heat up. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, turn the heat off. Pour this mixture over the beans, covering most of them.
Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil. Place in the preheated oven for 45 minutes — the beans will turn tender and dark green. Remove foil cover. The casserole can rest at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours or be refrigerated overnight.
When ready to serve, set oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the cheese on top and return the casserole to the oven until the cheese is melted and the dish is hot and bubbly.
Garnish with a combination of any_ fried sliced garlic cloves, fried kari leaves, herbs, sliced toasted almonds, or freshly grated coconut.
notes & variations
The casserole is fairly saucy (delicious when sopped up with bread or rice) — for a “drier” version, use one can of coconut milk or replace the coconut milk with heavy cream.
Use the best mushrooms you can find, porcini, morel, or chantarelle or a combination. From the cultivated variety, try shitake, chestnut mushrooms, or portobello.
Any melting cheese such as Gruyère, raclette, or white cheddar will work.
To make almond butter at home, toast the almonds in the oven until lightly brown on the inside then process in a food processor until smooth. If they get stuck, add a tablespoon or two of almond or olive oil to help process them..
Also in Recipes
