With all sorts of produce in abundance this time of year, shake things up a bit with a combination twist and make Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Niçoise Olives. It’s not only eye-catching in color, it makes a great accompaniment for steak, pork, chicken or fish.
Niçoise olives are a small French variety of black olive with a rich, briny flavor. If you can’t find them, use Kalamata or other cured black pitted olives instead. As a substitute for cherry tomatoes, use grape tomatoes.
Because you can serve this at room temperature, it’s a great addition to a picnic or potluck—but you may want to double or even triple the recipe in that case.
Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Niçoise Olives
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb. green beans, trimmed
- 1 cup halved cherry (or grape) tomatoes
- 1-1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbs. red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbs. minced shallots
- 1/2 cup pitted, chopped Niçoise olives
- 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the green beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes; drain and cool under cold running water.
- In a large bowl, combine the beans with the cherry tomatoes.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, and shallots.
- Stir in the olives, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss the vegetables with the vinaigrette, adjust the seasonings, and serve.
Recipe adapted from
Accounting for Taste 