Are you all set for sides this Christmas? If you are out of ideas or are worried that you will run out of oven space, I have an exciting stove top side recipe for you today. I love green beans and have several green bean side recipes on my blog already (this one and this one), but I felt the need to come up with another. One that does not require an oven!

This dish is inspired by two classic ideas – French dish bean almondine – beans topped with almonds and an Italian tradition of adding flavoured pan grits – pangrattato – to most things to provide them with texture they would otherwise lack, this (incidentally green bean) pasta being an example of this.

Here a flavoursome topping of seasoned fried breadcrumbs and toasted almonds is employed to transform steamed green beans into something far more exciting and delicious and I dare anyone – even those whose hatred of vegetables runs deep – not to ask for seconds…

MORE ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS

ALMONDS: Whole, lightly toasted almonds provide a lovely crunch to the tender beans. You can use other nuts if you like, hazelnuts would be my second choice, or sunflower seeds if you or one of your fellow diners has a nut allergy.

BREADCRUMBS: Coarse breadcrumbs are best here as they provide an interesting and varied texture. I make my own by air drying pieces of Turkish pide bread and crushing them roughly in my pestle and mortar once stale.

LEMON: I used a small amount of lemon juice to create a simple lemon dressing to coat the beans in and zest to add a citrusy flavour to the breadcrumb mixture.

MILD CHILLI: A small amount of fine chilli flakes is a nice touch here. I used mild Turkish chilli called pul biber, if you want a spicer chilli, Korean gochugaru will also work well. If you don’t want any heat, a smidge of smoked paprika would be a nice addition instead.

THYME: Fresh thyme leaves give this simple dish a bit of freshness and aroma. If you’d rather use dried, crush them beetween your finger tips and use less as they are more potent.

GARLIC: A touch of garlic is an easy way to deepen the flavour of the breadcrumb mixture. I used a fresh clove, minced, but garlic powder is just as nice.

NUTRITIONAL YEAST: nutritional yeast is a staple vegan seasoning that adds a cheesy flavour. It is inactive yeast so don’t worry if the name freaks you out – we are not adding baker’s yeast to anything. If you don’t have it, simply skip.

CAPERS: I love using these pickled flower buds in dishes as they contribute surpirising pops of flavour. I got hooked on capers while living in Greece as their locally grown and pickled capers are so flavoursome. If you are not a fan, how about chopped up green olives?

GREEN BEANS: I used runner beans in this recipe, cut into 1 cm / 0.4 inch strips. If can use any fresh beans you like but just remember that their cooking time may be a little different.