TOMTEN FARM

Nicola Potatoes
Lacinato or Russian Kale
Salad Greens, Bibb, or Butterhead Lettuce
Romano Beans or Okra
Sweet or Shishito Peppers
Leutschauer Paprika Peppers
Highlander Yellow Onions
Basil

Welcome to our Fall CSA season. We get really excited this time of year, as there is so much diversity of crops. This cool front and shortening days really makes it seem like Fall, although we still have 2 weeks until it is officially here. While we appreciate the weather shift, we are a bit apprehensive of the potential storm later in the week; but all we can do is wait and watch. The weather has a strong hold on us and learning to work with it is the most we can do.
As you can see this week’s share includes more greens, the first of our lettuces and kale as well as some of our paprika peppers. Although these are traditionally dried and used as a flake or powder, they are also delicious when fresh, quite spicy and sweet, with some stone fruit and earthy qualities. We have included a recipe for smoking them, if you crave the smoked paprika flavor; but feel free to use them as they are in any sauté or saucy dish. Once again we had a pretty lame onion yield; but we did get some and although small in size they pack a lot of flavor. These are cured and will hold for a few months either in a pantry or in cold storage. Same goes for the potatoes. Enjoy the share…..Brian and Autumn

How to Make Smoked Paprika

Sautéed Kale with Smoked Paprika

Red Potato and Shishito Pepper Hash

Zesty Citrus-Basil Potatoes

Farro Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes and Romano Beans

Arugula
Flat Leaf Parsley
Crimson Spineless Okra
Dancer & Italian Eggplant
Celebrity & Salad Tomatoes
Sweet Italian & Peruvian Aji Peppers
Red Round or French Breakfast Radishes

It’s our last Spring/Summer share, signifying a slow seasonal shift into Fall. Mainly marked by the shortening day lengths and sometimes cooler nighttime temperatures, by no means are the Summer days over though. Here in Virginia many of the Summer heat loving crops thrive into October; but we also see the return of more temperate and cool season crops beginning in September. This year they are coming on fast and furious. This is our favorite season as we have the most diversity of crops at one time. Meaning extremely challenging harvest days and wonderful times in the kitchen. Although this coming week is looking quite hot and humid, we are looking forward to some cooling off in the coming weeks, as our workdays are more full than at any other point in the season. We are on a specific weekly planting schedule through the first week of October, in order to sustain successions of various crops through next Spring. We cross our fingers for adequate moisture (not too much rain), so we can direct seed when needed and have to be diligent about keeping weeds in check and pest management in order to have healthy crops. Cover cropping is also a crucial part of our September schedule. We get cropland cleaned up, beds shaped and various cover crops seeded for over the winter, to protect from run off and build soil health; while being ready for early Spring plantings. In addition we are raising two flocks of meat birds throughout the fall; our broiler chickens and Muscovy ducks, so we have to dedicate time to moving these flocks throughout our pastures twice a week. Fall is a busy time, the last big push to get us through the season, with a focus on the coming season and the myriad of projects to do through the Winter to keep the farm in good health.
This week’s share is bringing back some greens and radishes after a big hiatus; paired with the best of summer. The Peruvian Aji dulce peppers, look like little pumpkins and are fabulous thinly sliced in a salad or paired with fresh tomatoes. They are thin skinned and delicate compared to the other sweet peppers. Okra is back, the planting is putting off huge amounts, like many of the warm season crops this summer, we are getting huge amounts at one time and then the crops dwindle a little bit. Fried okra is always fabulous; but you can also try it braised with some tomatoes and sweet peppers for a delicious simple dish. The arugula and radishes have some spice, as always when grown in the heat; but they go great with the sweetness of the tomatoes and peppers. If you make pizza, this here share has some great options. Check out the recipes below and enjoy the share……Autumn and Brian

Shrimp And Okra Gumbo

Roasted Eggplant, Green Pepper & Tomato Dip

Turkish eggplant and beef stew (musakka) recipe

Tomato, Smoked Mozzarella and Arugula Salad

Lemon Drop & Khmer Thai Chiles
Shishito Peppers
Clemson Spineless Okra
Asian Long or Romano Beans
Nevada Summer Crisp Lettuce
Suyo Long Cucumber
Zephyr Squash
Yaya Carrots
Shiso (Perilla)
Thai Basil

Sichuan Style Stir-Fried Chinese Long Beans

Spicy Okra Carrot Stir Fry (Bhindi Gajar Sabzi)

Spicy Thai Chicken Coconut Soup with Okra and Mushrooms

Cucumber & Carrot Noodle Thai Salad

Thai Basil Summer Squash

Tomato, Onion and Green Pepper Salad with Shiso

Bento Recipe: Pork Shiso Rolls

Asian Long or Romano Beans
Crimson Sweet Watermelon
Heirloom Tomatoes
Assorted Eggplant
Diva Israeli Cucumber
Seyrek Green Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Genovese Basil
German White Garlic

Watermelon Juice With Basil and Lime

Watermelon Salad With Feta And Basil

Spiced Peppers and Eggplant

Eggplant in a Spicy Honey Sauce –The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
The sauce is a splendid example of the hot, spicy, and sweet combinations; which are a thrilling feature of North African cooking. Serve it cold with bread.
2 medium-large eggplants
olive oil
salt
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 inches fresh gingerroot, grated, or cut into pieces
1 ½ tsp ground cumin
large pinch cayenne or ground chili pepper, to taste
4-6 Tbls honey
juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup water

Cut the eggplants into rounds about 1/3” thick. Do not peel them. Dip them in olive oil, turning them over, and cook on a griddle or under a broiler, turning them over once, until they are lightly browned. They do not need to be soft, as they will cook further in the sauce. In a wide saucepan or skillet, fry the garlic in 2 Tbls of the oil for seconds only, stirring, then take off the heat. Add the ginger, cumin, and cayenne or gorund chili pepper, honey, lemon juice, and water. Put in the eggplant slices and cook over low heat –either in batches, so they are in one layer, or together, rearranging them so that each slice gets some time in the sauce –for about 10 minutes, or until the slices are soft and have absorbed the sauce. Add a little water if necessary.

Caponata from The Kitchen Garden
Lots and lots of olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 head garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp chili flakes or fresh hot peppers, to taste
1 pound peppers, cut into large chunks
1 pound eggplant, cut into large chunks
1 or 2 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
salt & pepper
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp capers
3 Tbsp chopped Kalamata olives
Few sprigs chopped basil and parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat about 4 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven with a lid that can go in the oven. Sauté the onion and garlic until soft.  Add the pepper flakes and peppers and sauté over medium heat 5-10 minutes.  Add eggplant and sauté another several minutes. You may want to add more oil to make sure everything is generously anointed.  Add the tomatoes.  Cover the pot and put it in the oven to bake for 20-30 minutes.  Everything should be very, very soft.  Season with salt, pepper and the other seasonings.  Adjust sweetness, salt and acidity to taste.  Serve it warm on fresh crusty bread or at room temperature the next day.  Makes a great pasta sauce, too. (The original version contains chunks of celery, too.  If you like celery, you can add it when you add the tomatoes.)

Green Beans in Tomato Sauce – The New Book of Middle Eastern Cooking by Claudia Roden
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
2 Tbls olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ lb ripe tomatoes, chopped
½ lb green beans, topped and talied and cut into 2-3 pieces
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
juice of ¼ lemon
Fry the onion in oil till soft and golden. Add the garlic, and when the aroma arises, add the tomatoes and beans. Season with salt, pepper, and sugar, add water as necessary to cover the beans, and lemon juice, simmering 15-20 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the sauce reduced a little.

Long Beans or Eggplant
Tomatillos or Tomatoes
Anaheim, Poblano, & Cubanelle Peppers
Maules Red Hot or Aji Dulce Chiles
Suyo Long or Diva Cucumbers
Highlander Yellow Onions
Zephyr Summer Squash
Nicola Potatoes

Around here we are in a bit of a holding pattern, reminds me of the Spring, as we wait for our land to dry out enough to shape beds so we can plant our fall crops. We have an extremely full greenhouse with thousands of plants hardening off outside in the elements. They are actually holding up well with all these heavy rains and stormy weather. We are itching to plant, as August is traditionally filled with a weekly to-do list longer than we can handle; but right now we are stuck cleaning up fields, clearing garlic out of the barn, foliar feeding our tunnel crops of tomatoes, peppers, and basil and sorting through 1500 lbs of potatoes. Don’t get me wrong; it is great to get all these tasks done; but we need our transplants to get into the ground before they tire of the available nutrients in the cell trays. Simultaneously we need to get direct seeded crops germinating, as our fall successions are all very time dependent; but going onto our fields or shaping beds when its too wet is the worst possible option. It creates compressed soil; which will crust when it dries and lacks the breathability necessary to germinate many seeds and this compressed soil holds together like bricks for many months. So we take the best option and we wait. We listen to mother nature and wait for the correct conditions so all our plants can thrive in a healthy soil environment. The hardest part is learning to be patient and realizing that coming weeks may be long. Enjoy the share…..Autumn & Brian

Squash and Green Chile Casserole

Poblano, Potato, and Corn Gratin

Roasted Tomatillo-Poblano-Avocado Salsa

Long Bean, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad

Jicama Salad With Mango, Cucumber, Avocado, Lime And Aleppo
Use aji dulces or the maules red hot, thinly minced, instead of the Aleppo pepper in this recipe.

Aloo Baingan Recipe – Potato Eggplant Curry 

Zaalouk (Spicy Eggplant Salad) The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
1 ½ lb eggplant, peeled and cubed
5 cloves garlic, peeled
salt
3 large tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs)
4 Tbls argan oil or mild extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbls wine vinegar
½ tsp harissa or a mixture paprika &ground chili pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Boil the eggplants with the garlic in plenty of salted water, in a pan covered with a lid, for about 30 minutes or until they are very soft. Drain and chop the eggplants and garlic in a colander, then mash them with a fork, pressing all the water out.
Put the tomatoes in the emptied pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until reduced to a thick sauce, stirring occasionally. Mix with the mashed eggplants and the rest of the ingredients and add salt.
Variation: Add the juice of 1 lemon (instead of the vinegar) and 1 tsp ground caraway or coriander.

Cucumbers
Shishito Peppers
Carrots & Turnips
Sugar Baby Watermelon
Long Beans or Thai Eggplant
Arugula or Asian Mix
German White Garlic
Serrano Chile
Thai Basil
Shiso

Tam Taeng Kwaa (Thai Cucumber Salad) –Pok Pok by Andy Ricker

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad

Stir-Fried Szechuan Eggplant

Thai Basil Minced Pork – Pad Kra Pa

Vietnamese Salad Rolls (Gỏi cuốn)

When we make these we let everyone prepare their own and it makes for a really fun meal activity. As the recipe states, you can substitute various herbs’ we particularly like thai basil, shiso, and mint together. We will add julienned pieces of hakurei turnips, daikon, or even sweet peppers and sometimes substitute shredded pork or shrimp for tofu. For dipping sauces we use a traditional Nuoc Cham and peanut sauce (recipes below).

Nuoc Cham –Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid
1/4cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup fish sauce
¼ cup water
2 tsp rice or cider vinegar
1 Tbls sugar
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 bird chile, minces
several shreds of carrot (optional)
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Serve in small condiment bowls. Store in a tightly sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (after that, the garlic starts to taste tired).

Vietnamese Peanut Sauce –Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffery Alford and Naomi Duguid
¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
2 scant Tbls tamarind pulp, dissolved in 2 Tbls warm water or substitute 2 Tbls tomato paste
2 tsp peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbls fermented soybean paste (tuong in Vietnamese; dao jiao in Thai)
1 cup water
1 ½ tsp sugar
1-2 bird chiles, minced
Generous squeeze of fresh lime juice
Place the peanuts in a food processor or large mortar and process or pound to a coarse powder; set aside. If using tamarind, press it through a sieve; reserve the liquid and discard the solids. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until it is starting to change color, about 15 seconds. Add the soybean paste and the tamarind or tomato paste and stir to blend. Stir in ½ cup water, then stir in most of the ground peanuts, reserving about 1 Tbls for the garnish. Stir in the sugar and chiles. Add up to ½ cup more water, until you have the desired texture: a thick liquid, pourable but not watery. Serve in small condiment bowls, warm or at room temperature, squeezing on the lime and sprinkling on the reserved peanuts just before serving. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Reheat it in a small pan and simmer briefly before serving.

Shiso Granita – Japanese Farm Food by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
15 green shiso leaves
¼ cup granulated sugar
Place the shiso leaves in a medium-sized bowl or 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Heat the sugar and 3 cups water to boiling in a medium saucepan, stirring the sugar to dissolve. Pour the boiling sugar water over the leaves and steep until cool. Set a strainer over a plastic container large enough to hold 3 cups and strain out the leaves. Cover and transfer the shiso-flavored sugar water to a freezer shelf. Let sit, undisturbed, in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove to the countertop, open the lid, and gently stir in the crystals that have formed on the perimeter. Repeat this operation every 30 minutes, breaking up any larger crystals as you go. The finished granita should be flaky. Serve alone in a glass bowl or goblet. This is also wonderful served alongside Fig Ice Cream and Plum Sorbet. Keeps frozen for several weeks.

Red Pear & Pozzano Sauce Tomatoes
Italian & Middle Eastern Eggplant
Seyrek or Cubanelle Peppers
Red Ace or Chioggia Beets
Mountain Rose Potatoes
Escarole or Purslane
German White Garlic
Flat-Leaf Parsley

We are currently finishing up on a few weeks of heavy harvesting. The tomatoes have been putting out like crazy and even though we have some definite blight on our early crops, the volume of tomatoes is pretty wonderful, with over 500lbs harvested last week and close to 700 this week. Our latter successions are also looking happy and healthy. This year we have been maintaining a good schedule for suckering, pruning dead leaves, and trellising. Perhaps it is paying off. The pepper crop is just beginning to put off, with a few of the early varieties being harvested such as the shishitos, cubanelles, anaheims, and seyreks; but the overall crop is insane looking. Our chiles are more abundant than we have seen in years, with hundreds of fruit per plant and the poblano, Serrano, guajillo, and paprika plants are almost 5 feet tall. It is a force to behold. There is always this point in the Summer when the sheer growth of everything is pretty overwhelming and when a crop is super healthy and loving the weather conditions its magnified 10 times. Last week we finished harvesting all the potatoes, over 3100 lbs this year, and have them stored away to cure so we can have them available into the winter. It is definitely a Summer crop season, the spring was a real challenge but the Summer is strong as ever.
Even though summer is in full effect, our focus is drawn into the Fall season. We currently have a full greenhouse and might even be seeding carrots this coming week, what with the cooling temperatures and potential precipitation in the forecast. Over half of our cropland is being prepped for fall and winter crops and in two weeks we will begin heavy planting weeks; which continue into early September. This is the busiest season on our farm. Between Brian’s birthday (this week) and Autumn’s birthday (last week of August) we experience our busiest season. Although we are already fatigued, this year things are coming together better than ever thanks to better infrastructure and a great group of employees and volunteers getting the work done. As always thanks to you, our share members, for committing to us through the seasons, we couldn’t do it without you.

This week’s share includes a medley of crops well suited for Mediterranean fare; sauce tomatoes, eggplant, parsley, green peppers, and garlic. Our favorite tomatoes are the sauce varieties we grow, red pear and pozzano. The Red Pear are well suited for any application, a salad, salsa, cooking, or even a tomato sandwich. They are complex in flavor both sweet and savory, a truly versatile tomato. The Pozzano, is a San Marzano style tomato; which makes delicious sauce or is perfect when braising other veggies, such as peppers, eggplant, or beans. Our parsley crop is finally making itself more abundant. Today we actually finally got the weeds under control too, hopefully giving it a leg up. The garlic will be abundant over the next month and also a bit ugly, as we are sorting through our cured garlic and using the ugly stuff now, since it has less layers of dried skin it will not be able to store as long as the prettier, more sealed heads. Check out these recipes and enjoy the share…..Brian and Autumn

Purslane and beet salad

Escarole, Beet, & Tomato Salad with Warm Shallot Vinaigrette

Roasted Eggplant, Green Pepper & Tomato Dip

Hot Sardine Sandwich On Country Wheat Bread With Roasted Tomatoes And Cubanelle Peppers

Baked Eggplant And Potatoes With Tomato Sauce

Zaalouk (Spicy Eggplant Salad) The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
1 ½ lb eggplant, peeled and cubed
5 cloves garlic, peeled
salt
3 large tomatoes (about 1 ½ lbs)
4 Tbls argan oil or mild extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbls wine vinegar
½ tsp harissa or a mixture paprika &ground chili pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Boil the eggplants with the garlic in plenty of salted water, in a pan covered with a lid, for about 30 minutes or until they are very soft. Drain and chop the eggplants and garlic in a colander, then mash them with a fork, pressing all the water out.
Put the tomatoes in the emptied pan and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until reduced to a thick sauce, stirring occasionally. Mix with the mashed eggplants and the rest of the ingredients and add salt.
Variation: Add the juice of 1 lemon (instead of the vinegar) and 1 tsp ground caraway or coriander

Heirloom Slicing Tomatoes
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Seyrek or Cubanelle Peppers
Zephyr & Magda Squash
Tendersweet Cabbage
Bunched Carrots
Candy Onions
Dill

Ethiopian Cabbage 

Cabbage with Green Peppers and Onions

Summer Grain Salad With Rainbow Carrots, Heirloom Tomatoes And Herbs 

Sautéed Zucchini with Ginger and Dill

Tomato, Summer Squash, and Caramelized Onion Gratin

Red Gold or Mountain Rose Potatoes
Red & Orange Slicing Tomatoes
Marketmore Cucumbers
Shishito Peppers
Tomatillos
Swiss Chard
Genovese Basil
Summer Crisp Lettuce

Pesto – Marcella Hazan

Sautéed Chard With Pesto

Blistered Shishito Peppers & Cherry Tomatoes

Potato ‘Salad’ and Tomatillo Tacos

Creamy Cucumber and Grilled Potato Salad

Salsa De Tomate Verde, Cocida (Cooked Green Tomato Sauce) by Diana Kennedy The Art of Mexican Cooking
This recipe makes about 2 ¼ cups. Sometimes I will use jalapenos instead of serranos, or use a little onion to replace the garlic and if I have a little extra time, I will broil the tomatillos and chiles for 10 minutes instead of simmering in water, for added flavor.
1 pound Tomatillos , rinsed, husks removed
4 Serranos
2 Tbls Rough Chopped Cilantro
1 Garlic Clove
1 ½ Tbls safflower oil
Salt to taste
Put the tomate verde and chiles into a pan, cover with water, and bring to a simmer; continue cooking until the tomate verde is soft but not falling apart – about 10 minutes, depending on size. Remove from the heat. Strain, reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking water. Put the reserved cooking water into a blender, add the chiles, cilantro and garlic, and blend until almost smooth. Add the tomate verde and blend for 10 seconds, no more, to make a fairly smooth sauce. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the sauce and reduce over high heat until it thickens and seasons – about 8 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Salata Arabieh (Arab Salad) – The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
Serves 4 – In this most common of Arab salads, all the ingredients are cut very small. Do not prepare it too long before serving, and dress it just before serving.
1 small head romaine lettuce
1 small red Italian or mild white onion or 5 scallions
1 small-med cucumber
2 tomatoes
4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 Tbls chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh dill or chervil
1 Tbls chopped fresh mint
3 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/3 lemon
salt and pepper
1 small clove garlic, crushed
Shred the lettuce, chop the onions finely, and cut the vegetables into tiny dice, using a sharp knife. Put them in a bowl with the radishes and herbs. Make a dressing with oil and lemon juice, slat and pepper, and garlic if you like. Pour over the salad and mix well.

Romano Beans
Napa Cabbage
Frisee or Purslane
Sungold Cherry Tomatoes
Red & Orange Slicing Tomatoes
Jalapeno Pepper
Candy Onion
Cilantro
Garlic

Happy 4th of July everyone. We hope you have wonderful festivities and lots of good eating. This week the tomatoes really begin and we are adding the first of peppers so you can make a little pico de gallo to usher in the Summertime. We are giving some shares wild purslane, the stuff that grows in many areas on our farm and amongst our crops. This green is widely used throughout the Middle East. The leaves and tender stems (not main stem parts) can be eaten simply dressed with salt, lemon, and olive oil or used in a multitude of ways. Please check out the recipes below and enjoy the share…..Brian and Autumn

Napa Cabbage Salad

Farfalle with Wilted Frisee and Burst Tomatoes

Salade Khorfeh – Shirazi Style Purslane Salad

Purslane and Yogurt Salad – The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden
1 lb purslane (4 cups well packed)
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
salt and white pepper
If using purslane, pull the leaves off the stem but do include the stem if very tender. Wash the purslane , then dry it. Beat the yogurt with garlic, oil, and a little salt and pepper, and mix with the leaves.

Greek-Style Green Beans – Bean by Bean: A Cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon
The traditional Greek recipes in which this method is rooted use as much as three quarters of a cup of olive oil — too much for me. The few tablespoons here give flavor and allow the green beans to caramelize. Pretty they are not, but with one bite that is moot. Back in my restaurant days, I once received a proposal of marriage from a guest on the basis of these green beans. Pay careful attention to the details here. Technique is all.
1 pound fresh green beans, tipped and tailed
Vegetable oil cooking spray
3 tablespoons olive oil
About 1 tablespoon medium to finely chopped garlic (5 or 6 cloves)
1 large fresh tomato, chopped (I go ahead and leave the skin on and seeds in; if you are fussier than me, remove both and use only the chopped pulp of 2 tomatoes)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few dashes of cayenne
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill
1. Blanch the green beans: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain them well, then rinse with cold water, and drain them again.
2. Spray a large, heavy (preferably cast iron) skillet with a tight-fitting cover with oil, and set it over very low heat. Add the olive oil, scatter the garlic over it, and add the blanched green beans (in contrast to most sautés, the green beans are added when neither pan, nor oil, nor garlic, is yet hot). Scatter the tomato over the beans. Don’t stir.
3. Still keeping the heat as low as possible, cover the beans and let them just barely cook, without stirring, for about 40 minutes. I know it’s hard, but keep on not stirring; leave the heat low enough so that nothing burns. If you like, you can push a few beans back to check on the garlic at the bottom of the skillet. It should not be browning, merely cooking very, very slowly. Some of the beans will be browned on one side, which is good. If this hasn’t happened yet, cover again and cook for 10, even 15, minutes more.
4. When the beans are soft, lift the lid and stir gently. It is unlikely, but if there’s a noticeable amount of liquid in the skillet, turn the heat up and, stirring gently but constantly, evaporate the liquid off. You want soft, barely-holding-together green beans. They should be slightly shriveled-looking and browned lightly here and there, with a bit of the garlic-tomato jam sticking to them.
5. Turn off the heat. Salt and pepper the beans, sprinkle them with the cayenne and dill, stir one more time, and serve. No, no, you don’t have to thank me.