Green beans and potatoes

Just two ingredients, green beans and potatoes from Calabria, are enough to create a dish that is simple to prepare but really rich in flavour. This soup, which is also excellent eaten cold, perhaps with good homemade bread, can easily be transformed into a first course; in Calabria we like to prepare green beans and potatoes with spaghetti or bucatini "spitazzati" (broken up), drained when al dente and finished cooking in the soup by adding a few ladles of cooking water from the pasta.

Ingredients for preparing green beans with potatoes

  • 500g of green beans (serves 4)
  • 3 medium-sized potatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • Basil to taste
  • Extra-virgin olive oil from Calabria to taste

How to prepare green beans with potatoes in Calabrian style

Bring a large amount of salted water to the boil, while washing the green beans thoroughly, cut them into two or three pieces depending on their length and place them in a colander.

Wash and peel the potatoes and cut them into equal-sized pieces. Place the potatoes in cold water to avoid blackening.

At the first boiling of the water, cook the green beans on a medium-high flame with a lid. After about 10 minutes of cooking, add the potatoes and add salt to them halfway through.

Drain the potatoes and green beans, leaving some of the cooking water on the bottom. In a small frying pan, brown the two lightly crushed cloves of garlic in 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (if you like, we can add a few cherry tomatoes for a touch of colour). Remove the garlic and pour the oil into the pan with the green beans, potatoes and a few leaves of fresh basil.

Stir gently and allow all the ingredients to take on flavour for a couple of minutes with the lid on low heat.