There is almost always a jar of tapenade in the refrigerator, just as there should be one in yours. It is like a magic wand in the kitchen, able to take disparate ingredients and turn them into a trip to far off lands. To get the right kind of sear on this dish, you want to use your biggest pan, like a 14-incher. If the vegetables are too close they will just steam and get mushy, so if you do not have a big pan, do this in a couple pans or batches.
INGREDIENTS:
3 Purplette onions, ends trimmed, cut radially 1/8th inch at the widest ½-¾ pound filet beans, stem end trimmed and cut in half- roughly 1 to 1½ inch pieces 3-5 summer squash, preferably different colors, sliced 1/8th inch thin on a diagonal to 1½-2 inch lengths to yield around 4 cups 2 heaping cups cherry tomatoes, halved through the stem end 1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered lengthwise 2 tablespoons tapenade, or as needed (see recipe) Water as needed 20 basil leaves cut in fine chiffonade -OR- 1 scant tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped 1 tablespoon fresh flat leafed parsley, chopped ½ teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped ½ lemon (Meyer preferred) for juice Olive oil as needed Salt and pepper to tasteMETHOD:
Bring a big pot of well salted water to a boil, then blanch the filet beats for 2 minutes. Drain and give a quick rinse, then spread out on a sheet pan to cool.
Add a little water to the tapenade to thin it just enough so it will spread out over the vegetables in the pan. It should have the consistency of a homemade jam or fruit spread.
Toss the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Toss in a non-reactive bowl and set aside.
Heat the big pan over medium heat until getting hot. Generously film the pan with oil, and when it is warm, season the oil with the garlic. Add it in and gently cook until it is golden and the oil smells pleasantly of garlic. As soon as garlic is golden, remove from pan and discard. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper and the thyme. Cook, stirring to prevent burning, until onions have caramelized a bit and have turned golden. If they are cooking too fast and look to burn, drop heat to low.
Once the onions are cooked, push them to the side and make sure the pan bottom is oiled. When the oil is hot, add the squash, and toss to coat with oil. Turn heat to high. Season with salt and pepper and cook to add some color to the squash, around 3-4 minutes. Push squash to side and add the filet beans. Season lightly and toss to combine all the ingredients.
Cook 3-5 minutes to warm the beans. Push all the vegetables to the side and tip the pan so the oil pools in the middle or to the side away from the vegetables. Add the tomatoes -watch out for popping and spitting of oil.
Warm them up, push to the side, and add the tapenade. Spread it out and then toss all the vegetables to coat with the tapenade. When coated, scatter the basil shreds or chopped marjoram, the parsley, and toss to mix in. Drizzle with lemon juice over all, tossing to mix in, then serve.
Chef’s notes: If you do not have summer squash, you can still make this dish and it will be excellent. If you have larger tomatoes, you could just cut it into chunks, but let it sit in a colander after salting so extra moisture drips away.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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