Haricot Verts with Mulato Chile Mushroom Sauce

I suppose that you could say we are flying a rainbow flag today, as we are intermingling flavors from France, Italy, Mexico, and Thailand! You know Happy Belly is as pleased as a bean in a pod when that happens.

My favorite green beans are delicate haricots verts from France, as they are long, slender, and a perfect match for today’s smoky and mildly-spicy Mulato chile sauce (Mulato chiles are lovely dried variations of poblano peppers, a Southwestern favorite).

Making the sauce ahead of time allows this dish to come together in a snap — just swiftly sauté with garlic and smother with spicy smoky deliciousness, oh-la-la! Leftover sauce can be served with a mushroom pasta or as a sauce for other vegetables.

Haricot Verts with Mulato Chile Mushroom Sauce

Preheat the oven to 400˚

Make the Mulato chile mushroom sauce – Rinse the Mulato chiles with water and remove the stems and seeds. Dry the chiles on a kitchen towel then cut into smaller pieces. Heat a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and toast until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of hot water and soak until pliable, about 30 minutes. Drain the chiles. Soak the dried maitake mushrooms in boiling water for at least 30 minutes.

Toast the shallots in a dry skillet until charred on all sides. Place the shallots and peeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil. Wrap in foil then roast for 20 minutes.

In a food processor, add the drained chiles, mushrooms, roasted shallots, garlic cloves, tamarind, coconut sugar, tamari, canola oil, miso, and salt. Purée until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to create a balance of sweet and salty.

Make the Haricots Verts – Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the canola oil and the Haricots Verts and cook for 2 -3 minutes until the haricots verts are tender and blistered in spots

To serve – Arrange the haricots verts on a platter. Serve with the Mulato mushroom sauce.

makes a generous quart of sauce

MULATO MUSHROOM SAUCE

  • 6 oz Mulato chiles
  • 2 oz dried porcini mushrooms1 cup shallots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 6 oz shallots, peeled and cut into 1″ pieces
  • 14 cloves whole garlic, peeled
  • 6 tbsp tamarind paste
  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 3 tbsp tamari
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 tbsp white miso
  • 1 tsp salt 

HARICOTS VERTS

  • 1 lb haricots verts, washed and trimmed
  • 2 tbsp canola oil