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