Almond Beans and Caramelized Shallots

It's American Thanksgiving weekend and we feel more than honored to be invited to my daughter's in-law family in California to join them for this special occasion.  Here's a recipe that takes an extra few minutes to caramelize the shallots but it's worth the effort. A perfect addition to that festive holiday meal.
Do you know the difference between shallots and onions?  Let's find out.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds green beans, trimmed
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 shallots sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic chopped
• freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted 
• 1/4 fresh cut parsley

Directions

1. Blanch beans for 2-3 minutes.
2. Drain and transfer to cold ice water to stop the cooking process.
3. When cooled, set aside and drain.  You can prepare these in the morning and refrigerate them. 

Caramelized Shallots 

1. Saute' butter and olive oil in large frying pan.
2. Add the onion/shallots, garlic and season with salt and pepper.
3. Stir on medium heat (6 min) till the onions begin to brown, then reduce the heat and continue stirring another 6 minutes till they become caramelized.
4. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Beans

1. In the same pan warm, using medium heat add 1 tsp olive oil.
2. Add the green beans and season with salt and pepper until they are heated through.
3. Add half of the shallots and almonds and stir to combine up to 3-4 minutes
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and add remaining caramelized mixture and serve immediately. 
5. Sprinkle a few twigs of parsley on top.

Whats the difference between onions and shallots?

I've always wondered what the difference was. I have always had red and yellow onions in my kitchen, but never shallots.  Shallots have a sweet and mild flavor and  are less pungent in smell. They are generally smaller with more fine layers than onions and can be used well especially in dishes where they are eaten raw. Shallots are generally chopped finer. If the recipes calls for shallots you can swap in onions any time.  Generally one small onion equals 3 small shallots.  Often the smaller size proves more convenient if you are cooking smaller recipes.  Shallots are also very tasty when caramelized.