Side Dishes that Steal the Show
Though the Thanksgiving turkey gets most of the press, side dishes are generally the part of the meal that allow for the most experimentation—and garner the most loyal followers. To liven up your tabl...
Becky Hostetter, one of the chefs behind the Duos food truck that offers fresh, seasonal food to go, shares a recipe for green beans with hazelnuts that is rich and vegan-friendly. Hostetter and her husband have long been vegetarians and have children who are vegans, so they are accustomed to tweaking traditional Thanksgiving dishes to make them suitable for their family.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: Makes 6 servings
- 1 pound green beans
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- ½ cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or finely ground fresh breadcrumbs
- ½ cup finely chopped and husked hazelnuts
- Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking
1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Blanch green beans for 6 minutes. Drain very well.
2. Heat oil in a large pan. Add shallots and sauté until soft.
3. Add breadcrumbs, hazelnuts, salt and pepper and sauté until a nice smell arises from the pan, stirring constantly (about 3 minutes).
4. Add green beans and sauté a couple of more minutes until they are heated through.
About the Dish...
This green bean dish accommodates various dietary restrictions without sacrificing taste or resorting to margarine or other artificial substitutes. The hazelnuts in this dish, says Hostetter, "have a rich enough flavor that you don't miss the butter."
It's the kind of simple yet impressive fare that fuels their mobile kitchen called Duos, which appears at various Indy locations at lunchtime (duosindy.com).
When she was growing up in Bloomington, Hostetter used to forage in the wild for hazelnuts. Her old spots no longer yield the haul they once did, but she reminds those who may be lucky enough to find some that hazelnuts must be dried in their shells for several months before they are suitable for eating.
Recipe by Becky Hostetter of Duos food truck / Words by Kira Bennett & Erica Sagon
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