Sarasota's Grilled Green Beans, Peppers, Olives & Fennel

SarasotaCook's Note:

This is a twist on many classic green bean dishes, but I really just like this dish. I used my grill pan, or you could use a saute pan, but the grill pan inside or out works so much better for this. I like the grilled taste it offers to this dish. I use red, yellow and orange bell peppers thin sliced, fresh green beans and olives. All tossed in a spicy balsamic vinaigrette tossed with kalamata olives and topped with grilled/fried fennel. A nice twist and only takes minutes to make.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 6-8

Yield: 6.0 Individ ...

• 1 ½ lbs fresh green beans (stem end trimmed, tip end you can keep on)
• 1 large yellow pepper (thin sliced)
• 1 large red pepper (thin sliced)
• 1 large orange bell pepper (thin sliced)
• 1 (11 ounce) can kalamata olives , cut in half (you could use black olives)
• 1 small fennel bulb (cut in half and thin sliced)
• 1⁄3; cup flour
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes
• salt (for the beans and peppers)
• pepper (for the the beans and peppers)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil to grill the vegetable

Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon garlic , minced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

1. Vinaigrette -- Mix the olive oil, vinegar, dijon, honey, garlic and a little of the salt and pepper. You can always add more and just set to the side.
2. Vegetables (beans and peppers) -- Just toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and then add to a medium high heat grill pan or grill and cook 10-12 minutes until all the vegetables have nice grill marks and soft, but let them over cook. I still like a little crisp in my vegetables.
3. Fennel -- To that same grill pan, we need to cook the fennel. This is a method which actually grills with a little coating to give it a crisp coating without frying.
4. Add the flour and red pepper flakes to a large baggie and add the fennel slices and shake well to combine. Make sure to shake off most of the flour and then add to the grill pan and spray with a little Pam. This will help them to brown and crisp up.
5. Finish -- Just remove the grilled peppers and beans to a large bowl, add the olives, and toss lightly with the Balsamic Vinaigrette. Plate and then top with the fennel. That's it. I hope you enjoy it. It is a really fun dish and really simple and always a favorite of my friends.
6. Just a little twist on the standard saute.