Beans Don't Burn on the Grill

I never got the lyrics to that song.  Who cooks beans on a grill anyway?  If you're from West Virginia, you cook the green beans on the stove for hours, swimming in bacon grease and butter.  That is the only way I knew how to eat green beans for most of my life. 

Until I met I Ina.  I know.  I should rename this blog "The Site Where She Just Makes Ina Garten Recipes and Posts Bad Pictures of Them". 

Actually, I've been buying the steamer vegetables in the freezer section.  My kids enjoyed the steamed green beans - add a little brown sugar and butter.  I wanted to fix fresh green beans that had that same fresh taste with out cooking them to a pulp. 

On a side note - a thing that I think is wrong with the world, not stringing beans together on a front porch.  I have great memories of picking green beans and then sitting together as a family, mom, grandma, cousins, stringing and snapping baskets of beans to be canned.  I'm sure I complained of the work at the time, but it is something I miss now.  Your hands were busy and your talk was casual.  I think it created a shared bond.  We now longer provide as many of these opportunities for ourselves or for our children.  It is a sad loss.

String Beans with Shallots
Barefoot Contessa Parties! by Ina Garten (My notes in bold).

1 lb. French string beans, ends removed ( I used stringless green beans from the farmer's market.)

Candy Apple Red Onion - awesomely pretty

Kosher salt

2 Tb. butter

1 Tb.  olive oil

3 large shallots, largely diced (I used a candy apple red onion from the farmer's market)

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 3 minutes.  Drain immediately and place in a bowl of ice water.  Heat the butter and oil in a very large saute pan or large pot and saute the shallots on medium heat for 5 -10 minutes, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned.  Drain the string beans and add to the shallots with 1/2 tsp. salt and the pepper, tossing well.  Heat only until the beans are hot. 

Do you have any slave labor memories associated with garden vegetables?