Green beans with shallot (Haricots verts à l'échalote)

1. Trim the ends of the green beans and cook the pods in lightly salted, boiling water for about 6-8 minutes until crisp-tender.

2. Drain the cooked beans and plunge them at once into iced water to keep their vivid green colour, then drain.

3. Melt the butter in a pan and soften the finely chopped shallot in it (without letting it brown).

4. Add the drained green beans and toss together for a few minutes so the buttery shallot coats them.

5. Season with salt and pepper and scatter with chopped parsley.

6. Serve fresh and warm.

Tip: Green beans look their best when cooked crisp-tender and "shocked" in iced water – that keeps them vivid green and crunchy. Shallot softened in butter adds a fine, sweetish depth to the side dish.