Green Beans

[mark111757 Profile]

Afternoon everyone

I was wondering after seeing the recipes in coupe de pouce that calls for green beans. When did it become fashionable to leave the tails on them.

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Growing up dad had a huge garden and green beans were a part of it and when mum canned them, she and Dad always said to top and tail them like a gooseberry. I thought that they looked smarter done that way. But I see recipes like this and the prepacked veg in the stores the same way. To me it looks sloppy or cheesy or a job half done.

What happened or am I making a big deal over nothing.

Thanks for the input.

[Renée Profile]

Hi Mark, I'd love to be able to grow green beans, but I've never had much success. However, when cooking, I leave the tail on but remove the top.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Mark I've had much the same thought

Younger chefs, and in fact Jamie Oliver, are always on about leaving the tails on to "look pretty" but I don't think they do and they get stuck between you teeth

[mark111757 Profile]

Sue

Part of me wonders if it is laziness not to remove them.

"Look pretty" my ass. A nice piece of parma ham, that looks pretty or a nice filet beef. THAT looks pretty.

I thought the tails tasted funny.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

good question.
If the ends are quite long, I'll trim both sides.
If the "pretty" end is stubby, I'll leave them on. Or if I look down and simply cannot be bothered, I'll leave the fat side on.

It doesn't bother me tho, even in a restaurant.

[Sakkarin Profile]

No, it's wrong to leave them on, and the obsessive in me wants to reach into the pic with a pair of scissors and cut the little hairy blighters off. Maybe the stylist thought they looked attractive, they are all carefully arranged pointing southwards.

EDIT: On the trimming front, in an ideal world, I would trim bean sprouts of their little seed pods, but I can rarely be bothered. However I ALWAYS trim beans.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I'm a trimmer too. I'm a it like you sakkers I like order on a plate.

There seems to be a trend towards not trimming things. On MasterChef the Professionals last night, spring onions were served with the roots still on,

[Pampy Profile]

I'm a trimmer too.

And me...

[mark111757 Profile]

No green stems on the carrots. Mum would have been all over us if we had done that.

[Alexandria Profile]

I have never seen the tails on Haricots Verts ( French Green Beans ) or the Spanish Green Beans which are much longer, wider and bigger with tails on.

We trim the tails and tops ..

On a personal note, I like mine raw & crunchy .. I use a blue cheese dip and eat them as crudities ..

[jeral Profile]

I align with the wisdom that says you shouldn't put something on a plate that you knowingly expect not to be eaten. I can't see how bean tails could be expected to be eaten. Why would they be? Perhaps tails left on whilst cooking might be advantageous, but presented to eat makes no sense to me.

Serving baby carrots with truncated tops is fine by me <-said with total neutrality.

[jeral Profile]

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On a personal note, I like mine raw & crunchy .. I use a blue cheese dip and eat them as crudities ..

I love sugar snap peas raw (snow peas I think in the US). Ordinary or French beans aren't usually fresh and crunchy if shop bought. Growing pea shoots is good for getting that true pea flavour though

[Alexandria Profile]

Jeral,

The green beans I am speaking about are much larger than the Haricots Verts.

They are called:

Vainas in Spain
Ejotes in Chile
Bajoques in Valencia

They originally were brought to Spain from South America and Mexico. The Latin name is: Phaseolus Vulgaris ..


Snow Peas, I believe are of Asian Origin .. I had them in Hong Kong and they are used in Barcelona as well ..

They are truly lovely ..

[Stokey Sue Profile]

They originally were brought to Spain from South America and Mexico. The Latin name is: Phaseolus Vulgaris ..

We call the flat ones just flat beans or climbing beans.

Climbing beans is not really helpful as runner beans (Phaseolus coccinella) are greener and coarser and also climbing, very popular in the UK

And French beans (haricots, flagelolets the cylindrical ones) can grow as dwarf bushes or climb, they are also Phaseolus vulgaris

Snow peas were popular in Britain before WW2 (my grandfather grew them) then disappeared until the 70s for some reason. We call the flat ones mange tout

Leguminous veg are confusing

[Alexandria Profile]

Stokey Sue,

Interesting .. Thank you for your feedback ..

I have never seen "Spanish Green beans" any place else .. They are approx. 20 centimetres .. They are quite large .. And quite sweet ..


As far as snow pea pods go, I have only seen them in Asian restaurants .. They are quite lovely .. I like them in a Wok, just simple .. and crisp ..

Thanks for the feedback and have a lovely evening ..

[Badger's Mate Profile]

I doesn't help that green beans can be green, yellow or purple, flat or pencil-like, climbing or dwarf. All permutations are available with the possible exception of flat and purple; doubtless someone is working on that combo, or will rediscover an old variety.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

There you are BM

http://aeronvale-allotments.org.uk/purplerunnerbeans/

@Alexandria
I Googled Vainas and found this inage of Vainas (judias verdes)


They are similar to other pale varieties of flat phaseolus vulgaris and are easily available in the UK, both imported and home grown. The variety I am most familiar with is Helda, here in a UK supermarket package, they were my mum's favourite