GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE
Feeds 6
This might be the ultimate American casserole. The traditional one uses canned green beans, canned cream of mushroom soup, and fried onions out of a can. This recipe, adapted from Alton Brown and Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen, requires only a few more steps to make a side dish for Thanksgiving dinner that everyone might love. It’s a lot more memorable than the one out of a can.
- 1½ pounds green beans, trimmed and snapped in half
- For the crisp onions
- 70 grams All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- Peanut oil or lard for frying
- For the casserole
- 1½ cups chicken or vegetable stock (if you’re using boxed stock, make sure it’s gluten-free)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups sliced cremini or white mushrooms
- Kosher salt
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 35 grams All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- ½ cup coconut milk
- Freshly ground black pepper
Prepare to cook. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Blanch the green beans. Set a large pot of salted water over high heat. Bring the water to a boil. Put a large bowl of ice water in the sink. Put the green beans in the boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. (If the beans are slender, cook for 3 minutes.) Plunge the hot green beans into the ice water. Let them sit for 1 minute, then immediately drain the water. Dry the beans with a towel and spread them out on a baking sheet to air-dry entirely.
Make the crisp onions. Put the flour and salt and pepper into a wide bowl. Toss the onions in the flour to coat entirely. Put enough fat into a large cast-iron skillet to make a depth of 1 inch. Set the skillet over medium-high heat. When you can flick a tip-of-your-finger-full of water into the fat and it sizzles, you are ready to fry. Lower a light layer of the sliced onions into the fat and fry until they are lightly golden. Remove them with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat until all the onions are fried. Set them aside for later.
Make the mushroom sauce. Pour the stock into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to low and keep it at a simmer. Set a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Put the butter in the skillet. When the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are hot and wilted, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Toss the flour over the tops of the mushrooms and stir until the mushrooms are fully coated. Pour ¼ cup of the hot stock into the skillet, stirring constantly. When the stock is incorporated into the mushrooms and bubbly hot, add another ¼ cup. Continue this until all the stock is added and the sauce is thick. Add the coconut milk and keep stirring until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
Assemble the casserole. Put the green beans into a large baking dish. Pour in the mushroom sauce. Toss until everything is coated. Sprinkle a bit of pepper on top. Top with the crisp onions. Bake until the sauce is bubbly around the edges of the onions, about 15 minutes. Serve.