My friend Laura Ferrara and her husband, Fabio, own the beautiful Westwind Orchard in Accord, New York. It’s a very special place. In addition to having a farm and selling organic apples, they also cook pizzas to order from a wood-fired oven Napoletano-style. I visited Laura one hot August day, and as I was leaving she started piling produce in my bag. Among her gifts were garlic, beautiful fresh and crinkly cayenne peppers, and stunning flat Romano beans. As she shooed me away like an Italian mama, she gave me very simple directions: Sauté the garlic and the peppers and then add the beans. I did exactly as she instructed. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, crushed with the side of a knife 
• 2 Cayenne Chile Peppers, thinly sliced
• 1 pound Romano or other green beans, trimmed
• flaky Salt, such as Jacobsen Salt
• freshly ground Black Pepper

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chiles and cook until the garlic begins to turn pale golden and the oil is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove the garlic and chiles and set aside.
2. Add the beans to the pan and sauté until they turn bright green and are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium. Return the garlic and chiles to the skillet and toss to combine. Season with flaky salt and black pepper. 
3. Plate on a large platter, family-style.

From Back Pocket Pasta. Copyright © 2017 by Colu Henry. Photographs copyright © 2017 by Peden + Munk. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.