Ingredients:
- 1 kg. green beans.
I used string.
- 4 slices of bacon,
cut into 1 cm. pieces (for these cases, I use bacon chunks, too).
- 1/2 large onion,
chopped.
- 3 cloves of
garlic, thinly sliced.
- 1 red bell pepper
(1/2 if it's too big).
- 4 Tbsp
butter.
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose
flour.
- 2 1/2 cups whole
milk.
- 1/2 cup
half-and-half.
- Salt.
- Pepper.
- Cayenne
pepper.
- 1 cup grated
cheese (I used white Cheddar).
- Breadcrumbs.
- Grated Parmesan
cheese.
Instructions:
1. Blanch the green
beans: Drop them into slightly salted boiling water and cook for 3-4 minutes,
then rapidly remove from water and plunge into an ice-cold water bowl. Thus they
keep a beautiful green color and are crisp. Drain and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon on
medium heat for about two minutes. Then add the onion, garlic and bell pepper
and cook 3-5 minutes or until bacon is done and onions are translucent (variant:
you may cook the bacon, set aside, and then use the grease for the onion, so
that it gets the flavor and has more time to brown and caramelize, then add the
rest). Remove everything and set aside.
3. In a saucepan,
make a light (at least a not-so-thick) white sauce: Melt the butter, add the
flour and let it cook for 1-2 minutes, and then add the milk and the
half-and-half, whisking until everything thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and
ground cayenne. Add the cheese and stir until it melts.
4. Add to the
onion-garlic-bacon-bell pepper mix, stirring to combine, and then incorporate
the green beans.
5. Place on a baking
dish and top with breadcrumbs (I usually put a bit of Parmesan, too).
6. Bake on a
preheated oven (180ºC/350ºF) for about 30 minutes or until golden-brown.
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