Basic Boiled and Buttered String Beans

Note from Cheri: This recipe is from James Peterson's wonderful book "Vegetables." Follow this link to learn more about this invaluable book. Says James: "A mistake that a lot of cooks make when serving string beans, or for that matter any green vegetable, is to heat the cooked beans in melted butter in a sauté pan so that the butter turns oily and gives the beans a greasy look and feel in the mouth. A better approach is to cook the beans in boiling water, drain, them, and quickly reheat them in the pot they were boiled in, with any butter. This last reheating dries the beans and evaporates moisture that would dilute the butter and leave it in a puddle at the bottom of the serving dish. When the beans are dry, toss them with cold butter, off the heat."

2 T salt (for boiling beans) 1 pound string beans, ends snapped off and beans cuts in half or quartered crosswise if large 2 T butter salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Makes 4 side-dish servings Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large covered pot. Toss in the salt and as soon as the water returns to the boil, add the beans. Don't recover the pot. Boil over high heat from 4 to 10 minutes or until the beans are cooked but retain an almost imperceptible crunch--you'll have to spoon one out and bite into it. Drain the beans in a colander--don't rinse them--and put them back in the pot. Toss or gently stir the beans over high heat for about 1 minute to dry them. Turn off the heat, add the butter, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss until the butter coats the beans. Serve immediately.