Judias con Jamon "Green Beans with Ham in Tomato Sauce"
I had judias con jamon for the first time during a trip to Granada in the South of Spain. I have never missed the opportunity to have them since! Beans of all kinds are found widely throughout Spain. I like to use the Italian flat green beans for this recipe (see photo below), but you can also use normal fresh green beans if you are in a pinch. I also use Spanish serrano ham in this healthy recipe for flavor, but if you are a vegetarian, you can easily omit the ham. If you can't find the serrano ham, try using the cured Italian ham--it is very similar. We also sometimes use leftover spaghetti sauce for the sauce, but plain tomato sauce is what they use in Spain. Try this recipe! It is so simple, but tastes so good! You can do this as a starter or tapa. My wife and I usually have it a main dish for lunch. Tell me what you think! 
Serves: 3-4 starer-sized portionsPreparation time: 20 minutes INGREDIENTS 1 lb flat Italian green beans 4-6 thin slices of Spanish serrano ham about 10 oz of plain tomato sauce 1/2 medium onion finely chopped 1 clove of garlic finely chopped 1/2 TB of cognac or brandy 2 TB olive oil salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Remove the ends from the beans and cut them into about 1 inch pieces. Put them into a pot of salted boiling water and par boil them for 5-7 minutes (they will turn darker green, the longer you cook them, the softer they will be; we like them softer but with still just a touch of crunch). Once cooked, strain off the water. While the beans cool some, add the oil into the same pot and cook the garlic and onion over medium heat until they are soft. Add the cognac in for some additional flavor during this process (the alcohol will burn off). Now add back in your beans and the sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper to your taste. Add in small pieces of the ham and slowly cook everything for about 5 minutes to incorporate the flavors. Serve and enjoy!  Return From Judias con Jamon Recipe to Home
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