Blistered Green Beans with Tomatoes, Summer Squash and Pounded Walnuts

Adapted from a recipe by Abra Berens from Ruffage

1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, freshly toasted*
1 large handful of parsley or basil, roughly chopped
1-1/2 fluid oz lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil (or your favorite salad oil)
1/2 tsp salt
Neutral high heat cooking oil
1 lb green beans, stems snapped off
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium summer squash, shaved into paper thin plants or rounds**

Transfer walnuts to a cloth bag or tea towel and bash with the back of frying pan until the nuts are in coarse pieces and have released some oil.

Combine the basil or parsley, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.  Stir to combine.  Add summer squash and stir again. 

Heat 2 tablespoons of neutral oil until smoking hot in a cast iron frying pan and add the green beans with a pinch of salt.  Let green beans blister, then toss to coat, flip and blister all sides.  When pan roasting beans, cook them as fast as possible to keep their bright green color and crunch.

Remove beans from heat and toss with the tomatoes and summer squash, oil, lemon and herb mix.  Top with smashed nuts and serve.

*Pounding the nuts while they're warm forces the oil from the flesh, making a softer yet textured garnish.  You can chop them as well, but the nuts will have sharper edges.

**If you don't have a mandolin to shave the summer squash, you can use a carrot peeler to make long strips.