Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 2 pounds yellow string beans
- 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus some more for drizzling
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6 ounces pitted kalamata olives
- 2 medium garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon capers (optional)
- 8 ounces mozzarella, cut into cubes
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Instruction
- First, prepare the basil oil. In a small bowl, mix the basil with 1/4 cups of olive oil. Leave for 15 minutes for the flavors to infuse.
- Make the olive puree. In a food processor, puree the olives, garlic, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and capers (if using). Season with pepper.
- Preheat the broiler. Drizzle the string beans with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the string beans on a baking pan in one layer. Do not overcrowd the pan. Place the pan under the broiler, and broil turning the string beans once, until lightly charred yet still crisp, about 6 to 8 minutes. (I preheat the broiler to 500F and place the pan about 3 inches away. However, not all broiler setups are equal, so you may have to adjust the time based on your setup. Start keeping an eye on the beans at about 5 minutes.)
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the string beans come to room temperature. When they are cool enough, drizzle them with the lemon juice and two tablespoons of the basil oil.
- Place the string beans on a plate. Top with the olive puree and mozzarella. (You may not use all of the puree, keep some on the side for dipping.) Drizzle with the remaining basil oil and serve.
