^[1]One of my favorite things about Paris—after the museums, the streetscapes, the Seine, the style, the beauty, and so on—are the green beans. Yes, you read that right. Parisian green beans are ubiquitous, and always served perfectly ripe and tender-crisp. Here at home, perfect green beans seem to be available only for a month or so in the summer. This dish is a nice way to highlight them during that brief window; however, I’m so fond of it, that I use frozen green beans so I can make this regularly. I highly recommend using organic whole baby green beans, if you can find them; otherwise, French-cut beans will do. 

Serves: 4 to 6

• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 8 ounces soba noodles
• One 10-ounce bag frozen whole baby green beans
  or French-cut green beans
• 2 to 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce, to taste
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar or maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Toast the almonds on a dry skillet until golden, stirring frequently. Remove to a plate until needed.

Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan or small soup pot. Add the noodles; cook for two minutes, then add the green beans. Simmer steadily until the noodles are al dente and the green beans tender-crisp, about 3 to 5 minutes longer, then drain.

Meanwhile, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, agave nectar, and vinegar in a small bowl and stir together.

Combine the noodles and sauce in a serving container. Add the scallions and toss. Season with pepper, toss again, and serve.

• Explore more recipes using Asian noodles. ^[2]
• Here are more recipes for making the most of green beans. ^[3]
• Here are more easy bean main dishes. ^[4]