Fancy Green Beans

This is one of those dishes that doesn't take much effort, but it looks like it did. If you take these green beans rather than a green bean casserole to Thanksgiving Dinner, people will think you are a gourmet.

Go to the store and buy 2 bags of French cut green beans. Yes, it has to be the French cut, they are skinnier than the regular green beans. They cook quicker and taste better. Fill your biggest saucepan with water and add a big TBS of kosher salt. While the water is boiling, cut off the long stems, or if you don't feel like it then don't. It's only for presentation. Once the water is boiling drop half of your French cut green beans into the water. Cook for about

5 minutes. They will be a bit tender but not mushy. You do not want them to be mushy. Take the beans out and immediately run under cold water and cool them off. Most recipes call for an ice water bath. That is way too much trouble. Place the beans on a paper towel and let them dry. Do the same with the next half.

Take a breath, here comes the hard part. In a bowl, combine 2 TBS chopped Italian parsley, the zest from 2 lemons, and about 1/2 - 1cup of grated Parmesan cheese. And this is one of those times that you do want to actually grate the block of cheese. I like lots of cheese, so I go with the 1 cup. In a small skillet, put about 1/3 cup of pine nuts and let them brown just a little. That will take about 5 minutes. Once they have cooled, add the pine nuts to the bowl. Oh my stars, guess what you just made? A Gremolata. How fancy and easy was that?

Heat 2 TBS of olive oil in a skillet to medium. Add 1TBS of minced garlic. Once again, the store-bought is so much easier. Only cook for about 1 minute. Add the beans to the pan and toss with the olive oil and garlic. Add salt to taste. Once the beans are warmed through, add the gremolata. And toss. How fabulous are you?