The recipe was a concept I had on the back burner for a long time. We made meatloaf the other night. I had fresh green beans, but wanted something more than just blanched. I cooked chopped onions with some diced "mild" bacon. Added a can of tomatoes, then my trimmed fresh green beans. A bit of brown sugar. Lid on. Cooked on low for an hour or so. Added some chicken stock when it was getting a little dry.

Frustrating for me, but DH loved it. I think if I go that way again, I'll use pancetta or just leave the meat out of the mix.

Just feeling sorry for myself, I guess. Your posts are always interesting to read.

Is it just the taste that you can't tolerate or does it make you ill? I wonder if you could tolerate a ham base. We have a line of foods here in Florida that caters to Hispanics called Goya, they make a ham base in packages. I keep it on hand for times when I want to season something when I don't have ham or bacon available. Here's a link, they sell it in many grocery stores here, might not be available in your area though.

Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate

I confess to being a bit confused by the question as well; why try to continue to eat something that makes one ill?

I make some very yummy & soft green beans by sauteeing Trader Joe's frozen organic green beans in browned butter with chopped fresh basil, salt & pepper. There's no broth, but they do melt in your mouth.

Just brown a couple of Tbsp. butter in a saute pan, add 1 pkg (1#) partially thawed frozen beans & finely chopped fresh basil, salt & pepper & toss in the butter, then cover & cook over medium to low heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until as soft as you like - usually about 8 minutes or so for me, but you can go longer to make them softer. I add no water; the beans shed enough liquid of their own.

Yes, Carolb - smokey foods make me ill. But we thought we had found a palatable bacon. Was not the case. So many things I avoid, to the point of asking a local restaurant not to put paprika on my coleslaw (they douse it with smoked paprika and it migrates to the fries, as well).

That's ok. I'll revisit the stewed green beans, sans bacon and probably not with any meat.

Sorry for what you are dealing with Seagrass. I love green beans, just lightly steamed, cooked in stews and the Greek potatoes, green beans and zucchini. And I also love the longer simmered green beans. I've always called them Southern Green Beans. Sometimes I add a piece of bacon, but I also like them just simmered in chicken broth with a garlic clove.

I sometimes make the long-cooking green beans and they taste pretty good without bacon. I add minced onions and seasoned salt, cooked in chicken stock. Sometimes I add diced potatoes near the end, and this will thicken up the "sauce".

When beans get a bit tough at the end of the summer, I often do them in what I consider a vaguely Greek-style - onion and garlic in olive oil, add beans, a chopped fresh tomato or two, may some wine or stock or water depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes, and simmer until tender. I don't find that it needs bacon or pancetta, although that's often added to what I consider more Italian style beans along these lines and that's delicious as well. There's a recipe in an old Lynn Rosetto Casper book that used diced mortadella instead of pancetta or bacon. It's delicious. That might work to give you meatiness while avoiding the smokey taste. Another idea that occurs to me for adding an additional layer of flavor would be to mash a couple of anchovy fillets in with the onion. A couple of anchovies cooked in like that will add a real depth of flavor without tasting of anchovy.

Can't order anything with bacon, because I never know how smokey it will be. Used to love BLT's and club sandwiches, Cobb salads and spinach salads. Am shy of paprika, too, but it's not always smokey. Have to carefully read labels on BBQ sauces and spice rubs. I avoid anything "chipotle". It gets tedious. My husband fishes and we have always smoked his bluefish. I used to make chowder and fishcakes with it, and a very nice smoked fish cream cheese spread. Alas, no longer. I used to love smoked salmon. Ordered a bowl of mussels at a local restaurant awhile ago, in white wine with diced chorizo but wasn't able to enjoy the broth. No kielbasa or andouille sausage for me, either. No smoked Gouda and have to be careful with Provolone (did you know some Provolones have smoked flavor added?) The list just goes on and on and on....

Thanks for the kind words, and you're allowed to feel sorry for yourself having to forego so many old favorites! I think you're right about using the pancetta. It should give you a lot of the cure flavor without the smoke.

It's not that hard to make your own uncured bacon, if you really want some. If you google around there are a lot of recipes on the web and on youtube, since this is recommended for people on low-carb/ketogenic diets. You can use any flavorings you like. It's basically just pork belly and seasonings.

I just read Dr. Jason Fung's book on fasting and that had a do-it-yourself bacon recipe in it, although I didn't save it.

I have found some uncured hotdogs that I can eat. I'm not ambitious enough to make my own bacon! We do have salt pork in New England. Cheaper than pancetta, and used as a base for clam chowder so maybe that's what I'll stock.

It's really not difficult to do, as long as you have space to refrigerate it while the spices soak in. Once it's done you can slice and freeze it. For me, getting thin enough slices would be the hard part, since I don't care for thick bacon and only have sub-optimal kitchen knives.

Seagrass, I'm sorry you've had to limit so many things you enjoyed, the smoked fish alone would have saddened me.

I usually cook green beans for a long time, that's how Grandma did. Elery likes them, he says one of the things you'll never hear a Southerner say is "I think you cooked them beans too long". (grin) I usually add a smoked hock to mine, but that's definitely out of the question.

Elery also makes a version that only requires a saute of the beans and onions and garlic in some olive oil or butter, then add a can of diced tomatoes and a bit of chicken stock, put on the lid and simmer until as done as you like, adding stock as needed. They're good, not like bacon, of course, but good.

I think I'd go for the salt pork or some unsmoked bacon, we have it here as "side pork". Grandma used to toss some into the pot with new potatoes and green beans, and added butter and lots of pepper when they were done.

Good luck!

Annie

Annie - always good to hear from you. The bacon/pork isn't essential. I'd never cooked green beans in that fashion and was bummed that I couldn't eat them. Live and learn. Never heard of "side pork". I grew up in Ohio, Indiana, Michigan. We never ate pork, except for an occasional ham. But with 5 brothers and a stay at home Mom, we didn't eat much meat anyway. Mostly vegetables from a very large garden.

I only learned to buy and cook pork after I married and moved to New England. Pork is incredibly inexpensive here. Cheaper than chicken. Sometimes it's so cheap they practically give it away. My (late) MIL taught me how to choose pork roasts and chops. My DH's favorite meal is a pork roast with applesauce, mashed potatoes and something green - in his dreams always peas - but I prefer green beans.

I cook like Annie. I keep sliced "side meat" and fatback in the freezer at all times! Smoked hocks for collards. Our local Whole Foods sells all of it, locally sourced. seagrass, have you tried Applegate Farms bacon? It is uncured. No smoke added, and to me it doesn't taste smoky, but it may have been literally smoked, and not being sensitive to it, I can't tell, you know? I save the bacon grease from that and cook my green beans in it. You can ring them at 866-587-5858. I also find Trader Joe's beef, chicken, and vegetable broths to give a good flavor to all manner of things. They seem to me far superior to all other broths. Depending where you live, you might find a local farmer who could supply you with a "share" of pork prepared as you like it, if you have freezer space. So sorry for your frustration, on top of all else.

I'm a southerner and grew up eating long-simmered green beans seasoned with bacon drippings. When Daddy had his heart attack, Momma had to change her way of cooking. Now she simmers the green beans with a chopped onion and beef broth. It comes pretty close to the old way. Perhaps the addition of onions and beef broth will give you the flavor you are looking for.

I grew up eating a version of Ann T's Greek green beans, similar to what Annie said Elery sometimes makes. Never heard of green beans cooked with bacon or ham. I still can't wrap my mind around green beans, potatoes, & ham cooked together. It's so foreign to me.

Anyhow, my mom made traditional Greek green beans, braised in tomato sauce and flavored with dill, oregano, garlic, & onion. Sometimes it was a stew with cubed beef or lamb, and sometimes it was the beans all by themselves. Most of the time, it was also cooked with chunked up & peeled potatoes. Long cooked until the beans were soft and had taken on some of the tomato sauce flavors. I never ate a crisp/tender green bean until I was an adult, eating at a restaurant. My Greek family never even imagined such a thing!

I could make a meal of green beans cooked with baby red new potatoes w/ some bacon and onion.

I read somewhere humorous once that said something like if cooking green beans smelled like bacon we would all be vegetarians.

I just miss the bacon. My oncologist is puzzled by my aversion to the smoked foods so far out from my diagnosis and treatment. But I have to say, I miss bacon more than my breasts.

LOL, Seagrass, I think that's probably right. I like bacon, but I'm not crazy about it like some in my family. I'll have an occasional BLT, but if we are having bacon for breakfast I'll pass it up at least 75% of the time, which my family thinks is just weird. Ah well, all the more for them. Like you, we grew up wth 6 people in the family and many of our meals were from the garden, although Grandma had chickens and we raised cattle and pork. The meat we ate were the pieces we couldn't sell, so definitely not prime beef or pork loin. I do remember occasionally eating side pork with BBQ sauce, and thinking I wished they'd have smoked it. :-)

Pork sells pretty cheaply here too, "in season", which is in the spring and fall. Usually I can get pork cuts for less than $1 a pound, but not bacon, that costs more. I think the time that goes into the smoking process and the slicing and packaging drives it up.

I think bbstx might have a good alternative with the beef broth, it might add that "meaty" flavor while avoiding the smokiness.

Shambo, I never had a crisp tender vegetable of any kind until I was an adult, Grandma cooked all vegetables until they were tender, i.e. falling apart so they could be mashed with a fork. Liberal amounts of butter and salt were added, making those nice healthy vegetables into fat bombs. I loved 'em, still do, and like Cilantro, could make a meal out of beans and potatoes cooked with some onion and a bit of bacon fat. Grandma was from Ohio and moved to Michigan, but her stepmother taught her to cook and her stepmother was from Kentucky.

Annie

Annie, I never had vegetables with butter until I was either in Jr. High or high school while visiting a friend's house. It'd always been olive oil & lemon. When I tasted veggies doused in butter, I thought it was a heavenly combo. And I still do.

I haven't looked in for about a week and this post greeted me with a reference to our last night's dinner. The side dish was stewed green beans and tomatoes, which I have been making for decades. Although bacon or salt pork is traditional in slow-cooked green beans, I don't use any meat in them at all.

First, I mix in saucepan:

Can of diced tomatoes, 1 chopped onion and garlic clove, 1/4 tsp. each ground cinnamon, cumin, black pepper and curry powder, 1 Tbs. each chopped fresh mint and parsley, and juice of half a lime.

Then I add about a pound of tipped and cut fresh green beans and (low sodium) tomato juice to cover the beans by about 3/4". Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, covered, for an hour. Correct seasoning. Continue cooking until beans are done to your liking and sauce is reduced. Note: There's more sauce than in the pic because I removed beans from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Spouse was on a restricted diet during cancer treatments and it seemed easier to find completely new recipes for what he could have than trying to find substitutes for what he couldn't have. Wishing you brighter days ahead.

How long are you post chemo??...I am 18 years out!!! and the chemo took my ability to digest fresh dairy. I'll see your smoked food aversion and raise you one much desired dish of icecream, or cheese cake, or creamchees on a bagel, or whipped cream, or cream of whatever soup....etc.
But....18 years and I am here!!!

Hi, Lindac. I know you are a big "C" survivor and missed you while you were gone on this forum. I'm post 2009. I never have been a dessert/sugar person so that's not an issue for me but very sorry it is for you. I'm also very grateful to be above ground. Screw bacon and smoked food.

I also was raised on the long-cooked green beans, potatoes and bacon drippings. I do like my green beans a little crunchy now but I still like it the old way too. I also like them simmered in tomatoes, my recipe calls for onion, garlic, diced crisp bacon, oregano and paprika, I always use pole beans for that. But lately we've been doing a lot of oven roasted veggies (including green beans) drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with lemon pepper. I would be very upset if I couldn't eat smoked foods but I guess if it really turns you off you don't miss it?? My son has issues with food tastes now since his chemo treatments 2 years ago.

ritaweeda - I'm very sorry your son had cancer. We're lucky they can treat it and keep us alive. Side effects from the drugs are major life changers. I try not to whine too often but sometimes I really miss what I used to enjoy.

Seagrass, I too am sorry to hear that your treatments have (for now) so altered the way previously yummy food tastes to you. I would not attempt pushing the smoked taste just now. When you're feeling more like yourself there will be plenty of days to enjoy smoked and cured meats.

As to the well cooked green beans, yes, there are recipes that, as a Greek-American acquaintance said, "cook the beans to death". Her recipe for green bean stew is one that cooks the green beans for a long time. I can try to find a recipe if you're interested. She uses the Italian type broad green beans, but I think any green bean would worl. I believe she includes a few chopped tomatoes. I know an Armenian-American, and he makes his version of it. I made it a few years ago. IIRC, I don't think there is meat, but there may be -- perhaps a bit of lamb. I found the recipe interesting and homey. I'd place it in the healthful comfort food category. I don't recall any strong herb or spice flavors.

If you want a meat like flavor, there are bottled "liquid aminos" that you can try -- made from soy protein and sold at health food stores (maybe elsewhere).

Petallique - thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. I have to avoid soy based foods because of the estrogen-related breast cancer diagnosis. I'd love your advice on cooking green beans!!

So sorry for your health issues. What a bite in the you know what that on top of health worries you have lost your taste for certain foods. I will keep you in my prayers.

Anne - thank you. It has been a bite in the you know what. I'm still here, and people think I've survived but really I haven't. it's a complicated story. I'm feeling sorry for myself right now, I hate being weak and in a bad place but here I am.

Hi again, all. Seagrass, I don't have the Greek woman's recipe handy, but I found similar online. Shamba and Ruthanna's methods of stewing the green beans is pretty much the way the Greek woman cooked hers -- but perhaps very slowly cooked for longer. She uses the wide, Italian type of green beans which are softer. I usually grow something like that (pole) bean as I save the seed every year.

Here are a couple of recipes from the web. No meat. One of the recipe narratives commented about howGreeks tend to use a _lot_ of olive oil, but she elects to use. Much less. I've read that the dish is usually enjoyed with good feta cheese, bread and Greek olives. Mandatory ;)

http://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/greek-green-beans-recipe-fasolakia-giaxni/ Photo included.

http://greekvegetarian.blogspot.com/2013/06/fasolakia-green-bean-stew.html

As for bacon -- I love it (and sausages of all types; pork roasts, ham, you name it. However, I am pretty much avoiding processed meats, saturated fat and sodium, so I don't eat much meat. When I cook with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, I spend about 6 minutes on each thigh removing any yellow fat I can see. Yesterday I made a mock up of McDonalds Southwestern grilled chicken salad (greens, bit of corn, black beans, ... I added a bit of fresh spearmint, cilantro, a few pieces of Doritos, grated strips of jack cheese / cheddar, and a bit of a package (from McD s) of Newman's Own Southwest Dressing (with chapotle). The dressing is only to be had at McDonald's, but there are copy cat facsimiles all over the Internet (ditto with the salad).

As others have pointed out, there is to be had "fresh" ham or fresh bacon. Unsmoked. A store called Idlywild Farm in Acton, MA sells this. Perhaps Whole Foods as well. You might want to ask about it and or sniff it to be sure that it doesn't smell smokey.

Other than lightly cooked green beans, one of my favorite green bean dishes is a Chinese one called, Dry Fried Green Beans". The green beans are first charred a bit in oil, then removed and drained, set aside. Then other ingredients are cooked -- minced garlic and ginger and maybe some chilies; ground lean pork. A bit of sauce. Then the dry fried green beans are added back. Oh, and IIRC green onion and sesame oil are also used. Served with steamed brown or white rice. Even good cold from the fridge the next day.

I miss Idlyewilde Farms in Acton. We lived in that area in the late 70's to late 90's. Too far for us to drive there now. But when we're in the area we always make sure to stop by. There's a green bean stir fry we love at the Yangtze River in Littleton ("spicy string beans with shezchuan pickle") They are charred and crispy. And no trip would be complete without some potpies from Bob's Turkey Farm in Lancaster.