Green Beans with Herb Finishing Salt

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In my last post I shared my foolproof method (courtesy of Sally Schneider on the Splendid Table) for making an herb finishing salt that’s guaranteed to make you everyone’s favorite gift-bearing party guest this holiday season.  In this post, I describe one way that I use that herb finishing salt all through the year.

My favorite use is to sprinkle it on vegetables just before I serve them.  Green beans are a great choice.   I trim and wash the green beans and then steam them for no more than five minutes.  This brings out their full flavor and ensures they stay crisp.  (I find that steaming them for more than five minutes makes them too soft for my taste.) Read More

Herb Finishing Salt, or One Way to Stay Far From the Madding Crowd During the Holiday Season

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For the last week I’ve been reading the book, Paleofantasy by Marlene Zuk.  I ran across it during a weekend trip to the library and, because I’ve recently heard several people vigorously proclaim the benefits of the Paleo diet, I decided to give it a read to see what the diet’s opponents have to say.

Now I’ll say right up front that this post is not about the pros or cons of this newest health trend.  (I will say that I am skeptical of diets that forbid huge categories of nutritious foods — calcium-rich dairy and whole grains packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals in this case — since such diets are generally unhealthy and unsustainable.  For me, the real benefit of the Paleo diet, and possibly the reason for any beneficial effects, is its ban on sugar and hyper-processed foods.)

What this post is really about is salt, specifically homemade herb finishing salt. Read More