Green Beans with Pork, Ginger and Red Pepper Flakes
Ordering takeout is a little tricky when you live in the country. We’ve got exactly one pizza shop that will deliver where we live and that’s it. Sometimes nothing sounds better than a delicious hot dinner delivered straight to your door.
We often get together with my sister and brother-in-law on the weekends. It’s typically Sunday evening and by the time 4:30pm rolls around and all the cousins are happily playing we sort of look over the top of little heads at each other and shrug our shoulders. We are all silently agreeing that nobody wants to cook and who will make the offer to order something in. By the end of the weekend, after a long and busy week, all we want to do is relax. Thank goodness for Crafted Yakima’s ‘Sweatpant Sundays,’ a wonderful takeout service they offer just on Sundays. We’ve taken advantage of their wonderful meals many times.
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, takeout isn’t always in the cards and the silver lining is its forced me to get creative with what I have on hand and try recipes I would normally set aside in favor of just ordering a similar version from one of my favorite restaurants.
I happened to buy a giant bag of frozen string green beans at Costco a few weeks ago and after serving them to my children for two weeks straight I feared there might be anarchy at the dinner table if they showed up again. So I flipped through one of my favorite cookbooks, Small Victories by Julia Turshen and landed on a lovely stir-fry recipe that combines my two most favorite elements: incredibly adaptable and big flavor.
Green beans are seared until a little charred in a hot pan until the beans are bright green and crispy. A little pork sausage goes into the pan with ginger, red pepper flakes and a splash of soy sauce to give the beans wonderful flavor and a little heat. Served over rice or eaten straight out of the pan, this easy dish is exactly what you need on a night when all you want to do is call for takeout. And one last quick sidetone on this recipe, you could always swap the green beans for another vegetable of choice. Asparagus, shredded Brussel sprouts, broccoli or snap peas or a combination of them all would be lovely in this recipe.
Green Beans with Pork, Ginger and Red Pepper Flakes adapted from Small Victories Cookbook
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound string beans (fresh or frozen is fine)
4 ounces ground pork
2 tablespoons ground ginger (paste or fresh)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy saice
2 tablespoons chicken stock (or water)
Kosher salt and black pepper
Cooked brown or white rice for serving
In the largest skillet you have, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Let the pan get hot before adding the beans. Stir the beans occasionally until they are charred in spots and just tender, about 5 minutes (cooking time is similar for fresh or frozen).
Transfer beans to a bowl and set aside. Add the pork to the pan and cook, breaking the meat up and stirring until it’s just beginning to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger and red pepper flakes, stirring until he pork is cooked and a little crisp, about 5 more minutes.
Return the beans to the skillet and drizzle the soy sauce and chicken stock over the pan. Cook, stirring, just until the ingredients are nicely combined and the liquid is mostly evaporated. Season the beans with salt and pepper. Serve over rice. Recipe serves four as a side dish or two for a main course.