Garden Beans with Bacon & Onions

Garden Beans with Bacon and Onions

1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed

1 half large onion, sliced into slivers (or large shallot sliced into slivers)

4 ounces raw bacon, diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

pinch of cayenne pepper or ground dried red peppers

salt and pepepr to taste

toasted sliced almonds and 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, optional

-To blanche beans, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place the green beans into the boiling water then cover and let boil for 2 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse beans with cold running water.

-Prepare onion and bacon. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add bacon and onion. Cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and continue to fry until onions are soft and bacon is crisp. Remove onion and bacon from skillet and set aside.

-Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon bacon grease. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the grease and return heat to medium. Add blanched beans to the skillet and stir and fry for about 10 minutes, until beans are fork tender. Add cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir the onions and bacon back into the beans.

-Slice lemon into 4 wedges. Squeeze the juice from one wedge into the beans and stir. Arrange bean mixture in a dish and garnish with almonds and fresh parsley if desried. Set remaining lemon wedges, decoratively on top of the beans. Serve warm. Makes 6 servings.

Beautiful fresh green beans from the garden, rinsed and trimmed.

Sliver onions and dice bacon.

Fry onions and bacon bits over medium heat until onions are soft and bacon bits are crisp.

Saute beans in oil and bacon grease until they are fork tender.  Season according to your taste.

An easy way to add a bit of interest and pizzazz to your green beans!