This Georgian appetizer pairs fresh green beans with a walnut sauce. Boil the beans just until bright green and crisp-tender, cool them in ice water, and toss them with a sauce made from crushed walnuts, garlic, fresh cilantro, coriander seed, and apple cider vinegar. The sauce should coat the beans without overwhelming them; its flavor comes from the tartness, walnut oil, and fresh cilantro. Serve at room temperature and eat the day it is made.
Trim both ends of the beans, pull off any strings along the edges, and cut them into 4 cm pieces. Prepare a wide bowl of ice water.
Bring 2 liters of water and 20 g salt to a rolling boil, then add the beans. After 6–7 minutes, when they are bright green and still offer slight resistance to the bite, drain and transfer them immediately to the ice water. After 2 minutes, drain them and dry thoroughly on a clean towel.
Using short pulses, grind the walnuts, garlic, and 3 g salt in a mortar or food processor into a paste with some small pieces remaining. If the processor runs too long, the walnuts release their oil and the sauce clumps. Add the ground coriander, khmeli suneli (Georgian spice blend), and red pepper flakes. Gradually stir in the vinegar and cold water until the sauce falls slowly from a spoon. Fold in the finely chopped cilantro.
Finely chop the red onion. Add the thoroughly dried beans and onion to the sauce, toss until every piece is coated, and serve immediately.
Water left on the beans will thin the walnut sauce, so dry them completely before tossing. Vinegar dulls the green color over time, so serve the appetizer without letting it sit.
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