Green Bean Casserole
By Accipiter
>== Summary ==
ICSA + Beans + November = Green Bean Casserole!
Now before your expectations of this dish get kicked into full gear, realize right now that this is NOT the classic green bean casserole that you know. Yes it's pretty close to the original, but there are some distinct modifications I have come up with for this dish making it exclusively Accipiter-branded.
Also remember that this is not a full meal. It is a side dish, and for the purposes of this demonstration, is treated as such.
System Requirements
- Fresh Grean Beans
- White Onion
- Bacon
- Bread Crumbs
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Milk
- Butter
- Dill
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Preparation
First you're going to want to chop up your onion. This isn't a normal chopping task, since you're going to need two distinct types of cuts for your onion. Take half your onion, and chop it pretty small. Take the other half, and get some nice lengthy cuts out of it. I find that it's best to take your onion half, slice it in half across the width, then cut vertical strips.
Take each type of onion cut and put it in separate bowls for safe keeping. Next, trim some (but not all!) fat off some bacon, and fry it up all crispy like. 3 strips should do it, but if you want more, make more.
When the bacon looks good and cooked, take it out and let it rest for a bit to tighten up. Once it's pretty crispy, tear it up into small bits.
Start preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
Now take your green beans (cut them smaller if you prefer), and dump them into a good size bowl. Add about 3/4 cup of milk, one can of cream of mushroom soup, your finely chopped onions, the bacon, and some freshly ground black pepper.
Mix it up really well. Be aware that you WILL have a puddle of the mix goo left at the bottom of the bowl, but don't worry about it. Just make it a goal to coat the beans as best you can.
Pour the beans evenly into a casserole dish, making sure it's nice and level. Drizzle the remaining mix goo over the beans. Top off with a nice sprinkling of dill, and some more freshly ground black pepper.
Next, take about 3 cups of bread crumbs (adjust depending on your casserole dish size) and mix it with your onion slivers.
Melt 4 to 4 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a bowl, and pour it into the breadcrumb/onion mixture. Mix well.
Cover your green beans with an even layer of this mixture.
Take the whole thing, cover with foil, and shove it into your oven for an hour. 30 minutes into the baking, remove the foil. The sauce will be bubbling ever so slightly into the bread crumbs at the hour mark, which is when it's time to come out. Let it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes, and serve as a side with the dinner of your choice.
