Green Beans with Roasted Garlic and Mushrooms

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Here is a great way to dress up green beans for a gourmet side dish or main course.

Ingredients

1 large head garlic (to make about 2 Tbsp. roasted garlic paste)

Roasted garlic (see comments below)

1/2 lb. cremini or portobello mushrooms, sliced about 1/8” thick

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends trimmed then cut diagonally into roughly 2” lengths (about 6 cups, trimmed)

1 cup vegetable broth

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon or fennel fronds

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

The Night Before Roast garlic (see Notes).

In a large saute pan, heat the oil until quite warm, then add the mushroom slices and cook over medium-low heat for about 15-20 minutes, until their moisture is evaporated and they are lightly browned. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat.

While the mushrooms cook, prepare the beans. Combine them with the broth in a large saute pan with a lid. Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until almost tender when tested with a fork.

While beans cook, squeeze the roasted garlic from skins into a small bowl.

Finely chop the fresh herbs and set aside.

When beans are almost tender, remove the lid and push the beans to the sides of pan. Add the roasted garlic to center of pan and, using a large fork, mash and blend with remaining vegetable broth to form a thin paste. Blend in the olive oil, then stir the garlic paste into beans to coat. Stir in the cooked mushrooms, fennel or tarragon, and salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 more minutes or until all of broth has evaporated and flavors have melded. Serve immediately.