Seasonal Ontario Food

I got this recipe from my Grandmother many years ago, and I think she got it from a newspaper clipping in the 1930's. She was a little bemused by a teenager asking for a vegetable recipe, but I have made it once or twice each year since when fresh green beans are in season. I tend to think I don't like green beans much, but the fact is that they are rather like corn - they must be eaten promptly after picking, or don't bother. Not quite the same day necessarily, but don't expect them to last a week in the fridge and still be all that tasty. Fresh, they are really quite amazing. I did use both green and yellow beans for the batch in the photo.

4 servings (well 2, if you are us)
30 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

The Veggies:
300 grams (2/3 pound) green or yellow beans
- (the original called for a pound, but that's a bit much)
2 packed cups chopped cabbage

Wash, trim and slice the green beans. Steam them until just tender. Plunge them in cold water to stop them cooking any further when done. Set them aside, and keep 2/3 cup of their cooking water.

Meanwhile, wash and chop the cabbage fairly finely. Set aside as well until the sauce is made.

The Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 bouillon cube (I've been known to use a teaspoon of miso)
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
OR 2 teaspoons dried dillweed
pepper
2/3 cup cooking water from the beans
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Put the butter, vinegar, sugar, bouillon cube, dill, and pepper in a double boiler. Cook, stirring and mashing the bouillon cube. When it is dissolved, add the cornstarch which has been mixed well with the cold water and the bean cooking water. Add the cabbage and cook for 5 or 10 minutes, until just tender, then add the beans to re-heat.

Stir well to be sure the vegetables are well coated in the sauce, and heat through.