Actually, it really wasn’t. Well, maybe a little bit.

I had these sort of slightly grandiose plans for cooking all day on Thanksgiving; nothing too overly strenuous, but enough that it would be comforting. From the moment I got up around 8, I had the very comforting and very wonderful fourth season of Doctor Who playing in the background. I set up a game plan for that Meal of All Meals and set about sticking to it.

I was going to roast my own turkey breast, but that became an immediate no-go seeing as how anything resembling a raw turkey had been snapped up by equally ambitious cooks days ago. How about making my own stuffing? Well…I could but today I was all about quickness.

I thought about making mashed potatoes but again…I wanted more couch time with the Doctor. So off to the only place upon on a holiday: Whole Foods! Actually, I got Thanksgiving dinner from there last year, but this time I had a different plan. By the way, I love driving when there’s a holiday; nobody is on the roads and it’s all very 28 Days Later-ish.

So here’s what I did: I got some sliced turkey breast from the herbed beauty of a bird I saw behind the hot bar. I also picked up some sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, and a six pack of Sweetwater 420. I was going to have wine but I’ve been having a lot of wine lately so therefore I wanted to go back to my first love: beer. I also picked up the fixings for the side dish I am going to give you the recipe for today.

Officially, the main ingredient for this dish is romano beans, which are flat large beans, not too dissimilar to a snow pea, and apparently, barring that, you could used fresh unshelled cranberry beans. Okay, I didn’t have access to any of those, so I used nearly 2 pounds of haricot verts, and those worked out fine.

I’d like to add that this dish is probably one of the best things I have ever made, let alone eaten. I finished up the leftovers today and oh Lord was I sad to see every last morsel go.

Don’t forget to trim the green beans very well, dried rosemary is also no proper substitute, and take the time the recipe calls for. Oh yes, the leftover tomato-ey gravy is perfect for sopping up with Parker House rolls.

Braised Romano Beans

adapted from Laura Sbrana

1/2 cup evoo

1/2 minced celery

1/2 minced carrot

1 cup minced red onion

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

1 tsp. tomato paste

1 cup crushed tomatoes, preferably plum

salt and fresh ground pepper

1 1/2 lbs. romano beans or fresh green beans, trimmed

Heat oil in a deep skillet or a shallow three-quart saucepan. Add celery, carrot and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies barely begin to brown, about 25 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, a few minutes. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until mixture is well combined, about 5 minutes.

Add beans, setting them in pan all in one direction. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to a simmer. Baste beans, season with salt, reduce heat to low. Cook gently, partly covered, turning in sauce from time to time, until beans are very tender, about 40 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve hot or at room temperature.