Do you have a plethora of green beans from your summer garden? Alessandra Aiello offers both a hot and a cold recipe using simple ingredients – potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes and onions.

But first, some fun facts about green beans!

• If you’re a lover of green beans, head to the Green Bean Festival in Blairsville, GA on July 24-25, 2021.

• Green beans take just 45 days to grow if the weather is warm. They don’t like the cold!

• The term “spill the beans” may date back to ancient Greeks as part of their voting process. Voters placed a white bean for yes and a black bean for no into a vase. If the vase spilled over, it revealed the outcome, literally “spilling the beans.”

• Did you know the term “full of beans” not only means full of nonsense, but also lively and energetic? According to Grammarist.com, this dates back to the mid-1800’s when horses were given beans as fodder, which made the horses more spirited.

• Green beans are also called string beans because of the stringy vein down their spine.

String beans and Potatoes, hot and cold recipe, Fagiolini e patate

1 lbs of fresh string beans

1 lb of potatoes

2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive

Salt to taste

In a large pot bring water to a boil. Add salt and string beans. Cook them until desired tenderness. In another pot bring water to a boil and cook the potatoes until tender. Add oil and sliced garlic in a bowl and add the hot drained string beans and potatoes. Mix to coat the oil evenly and serve immediately.

Cold salad

1 lb of fresh string beans

1 lb of potatoes

1/2 lb of cherry tomatoes

1 small red onion

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Cook the string beans and potatoes as per the instructions above. Drain and let it cool completely before adding the remaining ingredients. Chill until ready to serve. It makes a perfect barbecue side.

Check out the complete recipe below. Alessandra does a marvellous job of explaining why she does each step.

What are your favorite ways of enjoying string beans? Please share your recipes at theitaliangrandmama@gmail.com and you may end up on our blog!

Felice giardinaggio!

Angela DiCicco, The Italian Grandmama

Have a question or have a to share a recipe? Contact me at theitaliangrandmama@gmail.com

Find more recipes and information on living as a paraplegic at theitaliangrandmama.com.

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