Gremolata is a classic Italian condiment made of fresh garlic, parsley and lemon zest. It’s traditionally used as an accompaniment to meat dishes or even used as a garnish, but in this recipe it provides a fresh, zesty flavour to otherwise subtle beans. In short, it’s a super easy way to gussy up beans and make them seem fancy without much fuss.

This is not a hot dish and is meant to be served roughly at room temp, but if you’d prefer the beans to be warm, then warm the olive oil in a pan and saute the blanched beans in hot oil for a minute or two before tossing with the remaining ingredients. A few tablespoons of pine nuts and or Parmesan cheese would be a nice addition to this dish as well, but certainly are not necessary.

I really enjoy these beans as leftovers, they're best when eaten directly from the container while standing with the fridge door open, telling yourself that you don't need a plate, you'll just have one more. Then a few minutes later, sneaking back to the fridge to slip your hand in the door, eagerly tucking into just one more bean.

Beans With Gremolata

1 ½ lbs beans, cleaned and trimmed

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

¾ tsp sea salt

½ tsp cracked black peppercorns

½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

Zest of 2 lemons, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Immerse beans in boiling water. Blanch for 3 minutes, drain, and plunge into cold water to stop them from cooking further. Drain again and pat dry.

Place beans in a large bowl, and toss with remaining ingredients.