Object Recipes: Bean Stringer

Title of object: Bean Stringer

Reason for choice: My mum gave me this bean stringer when I first moved to London, years ago. It's a funny little gadget - trims and strings your beans in one swift pull. I hadn't used it until recently, for the lack of the adequate beans (flat, green ones, somehow difficult to find in London). When I went to use it - I had finally found some of my beloved home beans! - I struggled. The beans wouldn't go through; they'd get broken and shatter, green splinters all over the place. I FaceTimed my mum: what am I doing wrong? “Just be gentle, pull them through, with confidence. See, there you go. You've got it.” And so I did.

Manufacturer of object: Krisk, produced in Australia

Material: Stainless steel, plastic casing

Recipe: Garlicky Green Beans
Take a handful of flat, green beans (sometimes called Piatonne or Roma beans), top and tail them, then slice them thinly, lengthwise; or run them through your stringer. Blanch them quickly, for 5mins, in salted, boiling water until softened, but not soft. Heat a good glug of olive oil in a pan, drop in a sliced garlic clove, and fry your bean strings for a few minutes, until shiny and fragrant. Salt them to taste and eat on their own, or as a side.

Object and recipe contributed by: Inês Neto dos Santos @inesns  is a multi-disciplinary artist. Her practice stands between performance and installation, using food, people and spaces as metaphors and prompts for discussion and conversation. She creates contexts and frameworks through which to explore sustainability, narrative, collaboration and togetherness. Alongside her art practice, Inês teaches, writes and cooks - to inform her work in a variety of ways. Her work has been exhibited in London, Lisbon, Madrid, Kuwait, Athens and Porto. Inês is currently cooking, brewing and fermenting, amongst other things, as part of the “Radical Residency” at @unit1galleryworkshop

‘Object Recipes’ background information available here