Green Bean “NOT” Casserole 

From Patrick Vanas

I understand that many of us grew up with this at every Thanksgiving and though I enjoy it, I now have taught my mom to make it from scratch and it’s so much more enjoyable and delicious. I have taken it to the next level! This is a great appetizer.

1l pounds French green beans (trimmed)

Tempura Recipe:

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon semolina flour

pinch of salt and pepper

1 cup of ice cold water

3 quarts vegetable oil for deep frying

6-8 quart heavy pot

Thermometer

Method:

Place all dry ingredients in large bowl stir with a wire wisk, add water to make thin coating batter, set aside for 30 minutes.

Mushroom Dipping Sauce

2 cups button mushrooms sliced

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 cups water

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

1 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons AP flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In medium saucepan add water and mushrooms and reduce water by half, remove from heat. In another sauce pan add butter and flour on low to medium heat and cook until flour mixture just turns light brown, add garlic and cook a minute and add heavy cream stir to blend well, turn heat down to low. Take mushroom stock and strain add just stock to cream mixture stir well. Take mushrooms and slice thinly set aside. Cream mixture should get slightly thick, add soy and parsley, continue to whisk to make velvety. Reduce heat to just warming.

Bring deep frying vessel to 360 degrees. Place green beans into batter working in three to four batches. Drop beans one by one into oil, cook about two to three minutes then remove and place on tray with paper towel to drain and allow oil to come back to temperature about two minutes. Finish cooking all beans, place them all up right in serving bowl or three to four large rocks glasses with two ounce shot glass of dipping sauce with each for your guests’ enjoyment.