I love a simple side of veggies and this was a keeper. The green beans were fresh at the grocery store (we're lucky to have early veggies here) and I got a 1/4 inch slice of pancetta from the deli counter, then we were ready to roll.
We ate this with shepherd's pie, so I felt like we needed a couple of veggies to round out the plates: boiled beets and pancetta green beans!
The beans were simple. Boiled for a few minutes in salted water then rinsed in cold, to stop the cooking. The diced pancetta was browned in a large pan, some fat removed and the beans were tossed back in. Done. The browned pancetta bits were crunchy and salty served over the beans. Easy dishes like this are perfect for the kids to help with. They were in charge of:
- snapping the ends off the beans
- watching the pot boil
- timing the various pots of water
- chopping pancetta
- stirring the pan
I confess that I was not ready to put them in charge of chopping the red beets. At least, not until I figure out what removes beet juice from clothing!
You may remember my earlier delight in learning that both kids like roasted golden beets? Well, I tried red beets, simply boiled, and they were not as big a hit. I'll have to try red beets roasted next, to see if it's the roasting that makes all the difference!
For all three recipes, check out Around my French Table.
