Serves 4 Difficulty: Easy Preparation: 15 minutes Cooking: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500g fresh green beans, trimmed
• 3 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 cloves Albert Ménès mild garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp Albert Ménès whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Albert Ménès thyme
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Pre-cooking the beans: Blanch the green beans in salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water to preserve their color.
2. Preparing the aromatic base: In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onion with the mild garlic until they become tender. Add the cumin seeds and thyme, let them toast for a few seconds to release their aromas.
3. Final assembly and cooking: Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until you get a melted sauce. Add the green beans, season with salt and pepper, mix well, cover and cook over low heat for another 10 minutes. Serve warm or cold!

Plating and Presentation Serve in a warmed serving dish, sprinkled with fresh chopped basil leaves. This dish can be enjoyed warm as a side dish or at room temperature as a summer starter.

Gastronomic Pairings

Recommended Wines White Wines: Côtes du Rhône blanc (Viognier), Sancerre, Chablis Premier Cru, or Cassis blanc de Provence Rosé Wines: Bandol rosé, Tavel, or Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire Light Red Wines: Beaujolais-Villages, young Côtes du Rhône rouge, or Alsace Pinot Noir

Culinary Associations As a side dish: Grilled lamb with herbs de Provence, royal sea bream en papillote, roasted chicken breast, or seared tuna steak As a main course: With almond pilaf rice, durum wheat semolina, or creamy polenta with parmesan As a starter: Accompanied by fresh goat cheese, black olive tapenade, or Collioure anchovies

Seasonal Variations Autumn Version: Add sautéed button mushrooms and replace basil with fresh savory Winter Version: Include Nyons black olives and a few Santorini capers Spring Version: Enrich with fresh peas and chopped mint

Chef's Notes Using Albert Ménès spices in their entirety allows for developing a complex aromatic palette. The whole cumin, toasted during cooking, reveals warm and slightly smoky notes that harmonize perfectly with the sweetness of Albert Ménès garlic and the freshness of thyme.

This preparation perfectly illustrates the Mediterranean philosophy where each ingredient maintains its identity while contributing to the overall harmony of the dish.

Storage This dish keeps for 48 hours in the refrigerator and even improves in flavor after a few hours of rest, as the spices have time to fully develop their aromas.