Olive Oil-Braised Pole Beans

["By Chef Adam Sappington of The Country Cat.\u00a0Recipe in Heartlandia: Heritage Recipes from Portland's The Country Cat<\/a><\/em>","By Chef Adam Sappington of The Country Cat.\u00a0Recipe in

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
½ medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Peel of 1 lemon
¾ cup California Olive Ranch extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 dried bay leaf
1 pound pole beans, trimmed
2 cups vegetable stock
Freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon

Instructions

1. In a medium stockpot, combine the onion, fennel, garlic, lemon peel, oil, and ¼ cup water. Season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent, about 15 minutes. 2. Tie the thyme sprigs, parsley sprigs, and rosemary sprig together with butcher’s twine to make a bouquet garni. Add the bouquet garni and the bay leaf to the vegetables. Add the pole beans, stock, and lemon juice and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pole beans are very tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper. 3. Using a pair of tongs, transfer the pole beans and vegetables to four plates or to one large serving plate. Dig in.