Traditional Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole with a Twist

Traditional Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole with a Twist - I grew up just like so many American's, eating the same ol' same ol' for Thanksgiving. It was always wonderful but never anything that made your tongue sit up and take notice! Thanksgiving is all about tradition and to many people that means eating the same exact meal year after year. That's fine! But, why not take your Grandma's Green Bean Casserole and spice it up a bit? Let's make our family appreciate what is going in their mouths and really give thanks this year! We always try to serve a mixture of traditional dishes and new twists on family dishes. The secret is to make it a taste adventure! My husband and I developed this Green Bean Casserole over several years. It probably changes every year but this is the basics. It makes for a wonderful dish on Thanksgiving or even for a potluck at your Church any day of the year! It is also completely vegetarian as we have several vegetarians in our family. The red wine and the soaked mushrooms give it a very rich flavor. Make sure to use real butter and a decent red wine. Serve your Green Bean Casserole with traditional turkey, dressing and the works OR shake it up a bit with some other new recipes!

Green Bean Casserole

1 pound fresh green beans

4 quarts water

4 Tablespoons salt

2 oz by weight of dried mushrooms (we prefer Porcinis and Morels)

½ cup hot water

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 pound sliced mushrooms (We like a mix of wild mushrooms but plain button mushrooms will do)

1 cup red wine

1 cup vegetable stock

1 Tablespoon Cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

1 can fried onions (If you have the time, fry your own!)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Bring salted water to a boil and blanch green beans for 3 - 5 minutes, then refresh in iced water and set aside.

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes.

Melt butter and saute the sliced mushrooms. Deglaze with red wine, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the softened dried mushrooms and the soaking liquid. Reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Make a slurry with the cornstarch and veggie stock. Add to the mushrooms and heat until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the mushroom "gravy" with the green beans and place in a casserole dish. Top with the fried onions and bake until browned on top and green beans are heated through.