Blanched Green Beans with Salsa Noci
This lesser known Italian sauce is a perfect way to use up old bread and is much more than the sum of it's parts. It is also perfect with freshly harvested garlic, which has a robust but light flavor that doesn't over power the more delicate elements.
Ingredients
2 lbs green beans, trimmed
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cubed bread
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zest and juice
2 oz parmesan or pecorino, grated
1/4 cup olive oil
Method
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water a a boil
- Blanch the green beans until bright green and crisp tender, about 2 minutes, then lift from the water and allow to cool
- Blanch the walnuts, 2 minutes, and then drain reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid
- Soak the bread in the milk for 20 minutes
- In a food processor, blend the garlic, lemon juice, and zest with a hefty pinch of salt until smooth
- Lift the bread from the milk and add to the food processor and blitz into a chunky paste
- Add the cheese and olive oil to make a loose sauce thinning with a spoonful of blanching water as needed to loosen
- Transfer the green beans to a serving platter and top with the sauce and a few grinds of black pepper
