Green Beans with Carmelized Shallots

My younger sister was recently diagnosed with Celiac’s disease.  I had never realized how prevalent gluten is.  It really became an issue this Thanksgiving.  Almost all of our traditional dishes had to tweaked or completely redone to accommodate.  One dish that needed to be redone was the green bean casserole.  Apparently cream of mushroom soup is not gluten free.  We tried to make the traditional recipe  with gluten free soup, but it was too salty and had a weird texture.  Instead, I made this green bean dish from Southern Living.

It didn’t have the same nostalgia as green bean casserole, but it was a good stand in.

• 2 pounds haricots verts (tiny green beans), trimmed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1. Cook green beans in boiling salted water to cover 3 to 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Plunge beans into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.
2. Melt butter and brown sugar with olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add shallots, and sauté 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add vinegar, and sauté 10 minutes or until shallots are golden brown and tender.
3. Increase heat to medium-high; add green beans, and sauté 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.