Green Beans With Hazelnut Butter makes an elegant side dish

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Green Beans With Hazelnut Butter makes an elegant side dish

Thursday, June 03, 1999

Marie McElhinny of Lincoln Place joins our growing coterie of repeat Countdown participants this week with a side dish recipe that will transform any simple entree into a meal fit for company.

Green Beans With Hazelnut Lemon Butter is luscious and a breeze to prepare while you're grilling a steak or slab of fish or sautéing a chicken breast. Round the meal out with a green salad or, better still, a perky salad of chunked fresh fruit in a rainbow of colors spritzed with orange juice or a dollop of honey. Don't forget the bread to mop up the last of the delicious hazelnut butter!

Can't find hazelnuts (a.k.a. filberts)? You can substitute slivered almonds.

McElhinny loves to cook and doesn't allow her solo status in the kitchen to deter her from trying new recipes that pique her interest or from baking batches of cookies or bread for friends, neighbors, grandchildren and great-grandchild.

She clips recipes from many sources, but keeps her favorites, including this one, handy in a special file, she says,

We're glad she took the time to share it with us. And she earns herself another cookbook from PG Food's overflowing bookshelf (see details below).

-- Tested by Betsy Kline

Green Beans With Hazelnut Lemon Butter

1 pound fresh green beans, cut 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup toasted chopped hazelnuts, see note 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley 1/2 teaspoon dried basil Salt to taste

In a saucepan, cover beans with water, cover and cook until crisp tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile in a small saucepan over medium high heat, brown the butter. Add the hazelnuts, lemon juice, parsley, basil and salt. Heat through.

Drain beans, add the butter mixture and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: Almonds may be substituted for hazelnuts.

Do you have an entree, salad or vegetable side dish recipe (no desserts, please!) that can be made in 30 minutes or less from six ingredients or fewer(not counting water, salt and pepper)? Share it with Countdown to Dinner.

The PG tests all recipes and if we select your recipe for publication, you'll receive a free selection from our cookbook grab bag of current releases.

Send your recipe to Countdown to Dinner, Post-Gazette Food, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or fax to 412-263-1313. Please include your name, neighborhood and daytime phone number. Or e-mail to: nanderson@Post-Gazette.com. Questions? Call 412-263-1760.