Rating is my personal rating
This recipe comes from Homemaker’s Delight by the Fannin County Homemakers, a cookbook from my late Oma. This recipe book is made up of many recipes contributed in 1971. My copy is from the 1998 reprint.
The Penna Style Green Beans were contributed by Gladys Gooch.
Ingredients
3 strips bacon
1 small onion
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 lb. green beans
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1 hard-cooked egg
Directions
Fry bacon in skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and crumble. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of drippings. Dice and add onion. Brown lightly. Stir in cornstarch, salt, and dry mustard. Drain beans, reserving 1/2 cup of liquid. Stir reserved liquid into skillet. Cook, stirring until mixture boils. Blend in brown sugar and vinegar. Add green beans and heat thoroughly. Turn into serving dish and garnish with egg slices and bacon.
My Insight and Alterations
In the instructions for this recipe it says to “drain beans”, but in the instructions it does not say to use canned beans. Mrs. Gooch most likely used canned green beans. In my video I used fresh, but 2- 8 oz cans of beans would equal the 1 pound needed.
With fresh green beans, add the beans after the cornstarch and let them cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover the pan with a lid immediately. Let steam for 7 minutes, then mix in the brown sugar and vinegar. Turn into a serving dish and garnish.
I forgot to crumble my bacon and didn’t make any hard-boiled eggs due to time constraints.
Conclusion
These green beans were amazing. The sauce was sweet, but not too much and the beans were crisp. However, the sauce thickened oddly in the pan after a bit, but upon reheating, it returns to a better consistency.