Sept. 27: I'll never eat that other crap again!

Pole beans in my garden

My pole beans were ripe today so I went out and picked them all. I thought I'd be swimming in them, but turns out I only had enough for one recipe. Do they keep producing more or was that it?

I may be the only person on the planet that loves green bean casserole. You know, that dish served on Thanksgiving made from a can of cream of mushroom soup, a couple cans of green beans, and a can of those crispy onion strings. Good stuff. So I thought I'd make a fresher version and see if it held a candle to the "real thing." Oh my gosh, I'll never eat that crap from a can again! This is the best recipe ever. I got it from the Best Recipes Light cookbook. Once you get a taste of this, you'll never go back. I made some modifications which I'll put in parentheses below.

Skillet Green Bean Casserole
1 t olive oil
8 oz white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/4 inch thick (I can't stand these mushrooms so I only used about 6 oz and minced them beyond recognition)
1 medium onion, minced
Salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 t minced fresh thyme
Pinch cayenne (I used four dashes)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I used vegetable broth, of course)
1/4 c dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated, minced, and rehydrating liquid strained (I used shitake mushrooms because that's the one mushroom I like, and it added a nice woody flavor)
1.5 lbs green beans, ends trimmed (I used whatever came off my plant, I think it was about that much)
1 t cornstarch
1 T water
3 T light cream cheese (I used regular because it's what I had)
Ground black pepper
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine the oil, white mushrooms, onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, 2 to 5 minutes

2. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, porcini mushrooms, and strained mushroom liquid (~1/4 cup) and add the green beans. Increase the heat to medium-high, cover, and cook until the beans are tender with a light crunch in the center, 6 to 9 minutes.

3. Push the green beans to one side of the skillet. Whisk the cornstarch and water together, then pour into the empty side fo the skillet and bring to a simmer, about 30 seconds. Whisk the cream cheeseinto the sauce until smooth. Toss the sauce with the green beans and continue to cook, uncovered, until the green beans are tender and the sauce has thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan before servings.

6 servings, 100 calories per serving.

Skillet Green Bean Casserole