Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

One of the heirloom beans we are growing for the first time is Anellino di Trento.  We were initially drawn to the unusual crescent shape and speckled colors of this bush bean.  Sometimes known as Anellino Marmorizzato, this heirloom variety from Northern Italy is "marmorizzato" (marbled) in shades of green, purple and lavender, with a dense, firm texture and unusual, rich flavor.  The taste actually resembles that of a yardlong bean.  A pole version of Annellino, Stortino di Trento ("Curved from Trent"), is also available, but we have been quite pleased with both the productivity and taste of our bush beans.    Stortino di Trento, Anellino di Trento, and another heirloom bean, Sultan's Golden Crescent, are all beans referred to as "shrimp" beans because of their curved shape.

Anellino di Trento beans, with their unusually solid texture and distinct flavor, combine perfectly with roasted cauliflower to create an extremely hearty dish.   The vegetables are filling (and vegan) even without the yogurt sauce, but the sauce adds a nice zing thanks to fresh cilantro and spicy garlic.   These flavors play off the toasted Madras curry which seasons the vegetables to perfection.   If you are not growing Anellino di Trento beans, any green beans or even yardlong beans will work well in this recipe.   Be sure to select beans that are firm, not wrinkled or starting to dry out, with a bright color that indicates they are still fresh and full of flavor. 
Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
serves 2-4

Ingredients

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

1            cup                non-fat Greek-style plain yogurt such as Fage
1            Tbs                fresh lemon juice
1/2          cup               cilantro, choped
1                                 garlic clove, minced

Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower

1             large             cauliflower head, cut into 1" florets
1                                 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4          cup               olive oil
1/2          lb                  green beans, cut into 2" pieces
1            Tbs                vegetable oil
2            slices             white sandwich bread, cubed
1            tsp                 Madras curry powder
                                   sea salt and black pepper

Procedure
 

Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
  1. Combine all ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
Curried Green Beans and Roasted Cauliflower
  1. Heat oven to 425°.  Combine cauliflower and onion with 3 Tbs olive oil.  Season with sea salt and black pepper, then spread in a single layer on a sheet pan.
  2. In same bowl, toss the beans with 1 Tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread beans on another sheet pan.
  3. Place both sheet pans in oven and roast until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.  The beans will cook faster, about 14 minutes, than the cauliflower, about 18 minutes.  Remove from oven and combine.
  4. While vegetables are in the oven, heat 1 Tbs vegetable oil over low heat and saute bread cubes until golden and crispy, about 4 minutes.  Remove from pan to cool.
  5. In the same pan, toast the curry power over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Scrape out of the pan and toss with the cooked vegetables until well coated.  Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
  6. Serve vegetables while still warm, topped with the bread cubes and yogurt cilantro sauce on the side.
Printable Recipe 

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14 comments:

  1. This dish looks amazing--like an Italian Bread Salad almost but with a lot more flavor--I love the roasting idea! I also love the beans--they're beautiful and will try to get my hands on some next summer. For now, will have to suffice with re-creating this via my good old bush beans (still waiting for them!).

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  2. SOunds delicious! I like the colors!

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  3. Those are some amazing-looking beans! I love the idea of roasting them (and the cauliflower) to bring out all the flavour... sounds like a fabulous meal.
    BTW, your blog always makes me jealous that our growing season is so many weeks behind yours... I've only just planted my bush beans, so it'll be a while yet before I can harvest anything. :(

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  4. Beautiful beans. I'm so jealous of your garden, and your gardening skills!

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  5. You're so lucky to be harvesting beans already! I haven't even put any in the ground yet. Seattle has a few weeks of colder weather left still, sigh... That yogurt sauce looks amazing!

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  6. Hmm lovely combination, Love the yogurt sauce, it has a little fresh touch to this curry dish! I wish I had your garden, I would be in heaven!

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  7. Excellent veggie dish! The cilantro yogurt sauce sounds fantastic!

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  8. These beans look too gorgeous to eat! As always great post and fantastic recipe.

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  9. those beans are beautiful! fantstic recipe!

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  10. Cilantro yogurt sauce looks so tempting!

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  11. It's been way too long since I've visited. I love your mixture of surprising, delicious flavors! This is no exception.

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  12. Hi! I think I'm going to give this a whirl tonight, but I'm going to try dropping the cilantro (ick) for mint, which I have a truckload of. Looking forward to it, thanks for the recipe.

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