Green Beans and Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 2 lbs fresh green beans or haricots verts*
• 2 TBSP bacon grease, or extra virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1/3 cup diced red onion
• 8-16 oz sliced mushrooms
• 1 TBSP minced fresh garlic, or 2 TBSP dried chopped/sliced garlic
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup cooked crumbled bacon, or diced, cooked ham
• All purpose seasoning (I used Frankly Delicious)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan or crumbled feta
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. Blanch the green beans for about 4 minutes in boiling, salted water (they should still be a little crisp). Then plunge into ice water to stop cooking. Drain and pat dry.
2. In a large skillet, heat bacon grease and butter on medium high. Add onion and mushrooms. Spread mushrooms out well, and don't move them around too much. You want them to caramelize on one side, and not stew into small pieces.
3. When mushrooms are a little caramelized, stir in garlic.
4. Stir in beans, bacon, and seasoning.
5. Add broth, cover pan, reduce heat, and cook until beans are the texture that you like.
6. Sprinkle with cheese and pepper flakes, and serve. I used grated cheddar in the original recipe, and it's not a good choice, if you hold the beans, because it melts too much.
7. * Fresh green beans are essential to this recipe, frozen are not nearly as good.