Hazelnut Green Beans With Prosciutto and Dates
Equally at home on the holiday table or at a backyard barbecue, this bright green-bean salad is filled with captivating texture–crunchy hazelnuts, crisp cured meat, chewy dates, barely tender beans. Frying the hazelnuts in oil cooks them evenly from the inside out more quickly than toasting in an oven. As a bonus, the heady hazelnut-scented oil becomes the base for the vinaigrette that dresses the green beans. Make the dressing as close to serving as possible so the nuts remain crunchy. If you prefer, you can substitute sliced almonds in place of the hazelnuts, and if you're vegetarian, simply skip the prosciutto.
Recipe information
Total Time
35 minutes
Yield
8 servings
Ingredients
6–8
2
1
⅔
½
12
1
3
¼
¼
2
2
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Arrange 6–8 thin slices prosciutto on a parchment-lined baking sheet, overlapping by no more than ½" if needed, and bake until crisp, 7–9 minutes. Let cool.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cook 2 lb. green beans, trimmed, in a medium pot of boiling generously salted water until bright green and crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain beans; transfer to a large bowl of ice water and let cool. Drain green beans and thoroughly pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Set aside.
Step 3
Cook ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil and ½ cup coarsely chopped blanched hazelnuts in a medium skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until hazelnuts are golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Immediately transfer nuts and oil to a large bowl; reserve skillet. Let cool until just barely warm, about 10 minutes.
Step 4
While nuts and oil are cooling, cook 12 Medjool dates, pitted, quartered lengthwise, in reserved skillet over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally and adding up to 2 tsp. more extra-virgin olive oil if pan is dry, until lightly charred in spots, about 2 minutes. Transfer dates to a plate.
Step 5
Add 1 large shallot, finely chopped, 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, zest of 1 medium lemon, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. honey, 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt to bowl with nuts and oil and whisk to combine; generously season vinaigrette with freshly ground pepper.
Step 6
Add dates and reserved green beans to vinaigrette and toss to coat. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Transfer green bean mixture to a platter or large shallow bowl. Crumble prosciutto into small shards and scatter over green bean mixture.
Do Ahead: Prosciutto can be baked 4 hours ahead; store, loosely covered, at room temperature. Green beans can be blanched 1 day ahead; pat dry, transfer to an airtight container and chill. Nuts can be cooked 1 day ahead; transfer to an airtight container along with oil and store at room temperature.
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