Basil and Green Beans are a summer match made in heaven. This gratinate brings out their more comforting qualities. Basil and Green Bean Gratinate .
Basil and Green Bean Gratinate
Print This Recipe Yield 8Source Adapted from a recipe by Lidia BastianichPublished
Ingredients
- 1½ pound fresh green beans
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more for boiling water)
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes
- ½ pound mozzarella
- 1 cup fresh whole basil leaves
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup dried breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Set the rack in the center.
Pre-pare an ice bath in a large bowl.
Fill a large pot with about 3 quarts of water. Let it come to a boil and then add a good amount of kosher salt.
Dump all the fresh green beans into the boiling water, cover the pot until the water boils again, then cook uncovered, for 4–6 minutes or so, until they are barely cooked; tender but still firm enough to snap.
Drain the beans briefly in a colander, and then plunge them in the prepared iced bath. When cool transfer them to another bowl and sprinkle them with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Beans can really take a lot of salt. So let them sit a few minutes to absorb some of the seasoning.
Meanwhile, rinse and dry the tomatoes. If they’re larger than an inch, slice them in half otherwise leave them whole. Cut the mozzarella into ½‑inch cubes. Slice the basil leaves into thin shreds which is called a chiffonade. It is easier to achieve this if you bindle quite a few on top of each other, then roll them cigar style. Cut the cross wise and you will be left with perfect chiffonades.
Toss the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl. Lightly grease the insides of a shallow, 2 or 3 quart baking dish with a teaspoon or more of the butter. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the cheese and breadcrumb mixture all over the bottom and up the sides of the baking dish.
Add the tomatoes, cubes of mozzarella and basil shreds into the bowl containing the cooled and salted green beans. Drizzle the olive oil over all, sprinkle on the remaining ¼‑teaspoon salt and toss together a few times. Sprinkle about half of the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs on top and toss well, until everything is well coated.
Scrape the vegetables and breadcrumbs into the baking dish and spread them around in an even well mixed and even layer. Sprinkle over the remaining breadcrumbs and cut the remaining butter into dice and scatter them all over the top. Place the dish in the oven.
Bake the gratinate for 12 minutes, then rotate it and bake another 12 minutes. 24 minutes should be perfect to achieve a brown bubbly crust. However, if it is not browned to your satisfaction place it under a broiler for a moment or two rather than cook it longer, which will only succeed in overcooking the beans.
Bring the hot gratinate to the table in the baking dish.
There’s a bar here in Dublin that does portobello mushroom burgers as their veggie burger option and, while it beats the socks off a lot of what passes for veggie burgers, let me tell you that your version of the bello burger would beat the sock off theirs. Just so you know.
I had you in mind when I created it! GREG
… veg burgers never looked so good! Going to hunt me some wild portobello.
Thanks for this! I’m a pseudo-vegetarian, and I love a good portobello burger. The olives look great in there.
Greg, you have inspired me with this burger-streak you’re on! Readin your posts just makes me feel more summery!
I must confess: I will take veg over meat any day of the week. I just don’t like it that much and I feel my body rejects it a bit. Veg makes me feel a bit more harmonious!
Having said that, I’m everyone’s favourite person at BBQs because I don’t touch the meat/chicken, so I straight for the neglected and often completely overlooked veg. And, on the grill, veggies are heavenly! i’m grilling a lot of beets and sweet potatoes lately and I’m loving those as well, along the conventional pepper, shrooms, zucchs, onions and eggplants.
Lovely burger, I would probably have a couple in one sitting!!!!
hurray for the bello burger! a fabulous way to indulge in a classic and still stay healthy! nice to find your blog! i’ll be back!
I’m not in a very chatty mood either, so you get a looks delicious!
A veggie burger I wouldn’t be ashamed of serving at my house to my vegetarian friends. I hate when they give me those cardboard tasting veggie “burgers” to grill up for them. I usually add an insult like, “hey, my grass needs a trim so get to it”. Your recipe will definitely be added to my arsenal for those high maintenance vegetarians.
Thanks again Greg!
Eric
Looks good with cheese on the yummy Kaiser roll!
I haven’t tried Portobello burger but I’ve read recipes. I’m going to try it one of these days..
It doesn’t always have to be red meat as much as I love it. Veggie burgers can be darn good too. The last time I had a portobello burger was when I went to the Alcove on Hillhurst a few weeks ago. It was so good. It was more of a sandwich, but it looked like it could pass for a burger.
I’ve never tried vegetarian burger, portobello mushroom sounds great coz it tastes meaty and juicy. WOWed for you again. haha