Country Green Beans

I was really in the mood for some "country cooking" the other night.  I was born and raised in the South, so it's food I'm used to.  And I can't get enough of it!  I limit how much of it I eat because Southern food is full of fat, but that's what makes it so good!  I've been making these green beans for years.  They are satisfying and super tasty.  I love the crunch that the fresh green beans give, the saltiness of the bacon and the tang from the red wine vinegar.  Here's how to make them:

 

 2 lb fresh Green beans, trimmed

5 strips of Bacon, diced

1 small Onion, small dice

3 cloves of Garlic, rough chop

 1/4 cup Red wine vinegar (Apple cider vinegar works just fine too)

1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar, (or more depending on how sweet you want the beans to be)

Salt

Crushed red pepper flakes

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water is coming to a boil, start trimming the green beans.  There's a stem end and a little "hairy" end.  You'll be able to tell the difference.  Snap off the stems.  You can leave the beans whole or cut them in two.  I left mine whole.

When the green beans are all trimmed and the water is boiling, put them in the boiling water for 3 minutes then immediately submerge them in a big bowl of salted ice water.  This will set their green color and stop the cooking.  Drain the beans.

In a large, cold saute pan, throw in the bacon.  Turn the heat to medium and start rendering the bacon.  When it gives off some fat, turn up the heat a little higher.  Add in the onion and cook until the bacon starts to get crispy and the onion is translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add in the green beans.  Toss to coat in the bacon fat.  Season generously with salt and crushed red pepper.  Lower the heat to medium low.

Cook until the green beans are tender but still have a little crunch to them.  

When they are just about there, add in the vinegar.  Keep tossing.  Let the vinegar reduce a little.

Add in the sugar and toss everything together again.

Turn the heat to low and let them cook for about 5 minutes more, to let the sugar dissolve and to let everything come together.

Taste, season with more salt or sugar if needed.

Looks like Sunday dinner to me!  I served these with Herb Roasted Baby Potatoes.  Yum!