Creamy Cashew Bush Beans

I think I may have lost track of what I was doing this Spring, and planted one too many rows of purple bush beans. It's been that way with everything this season. Our basement is quickly beginning to resemble a conspiracy theorist's bomb shelter as it fills to the brim with potatoes and onions.

After an unusually long NC winter, I think I am not the only one who got a bit over zealous in the freshly tilled garden dirt.

All I think about now, is a shiny, new chest freezer for all the overflow. No flat screen, high definition piece of hardware to watch the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" for this gal; just a cold, extra box to put my beans and okra in. In fact, I would truly rather open a chest freezer, and stare at frozen vegetables for an hour.

Due to the abundance of this year's bean crop, I have tried to come up with different ways to prepare them, to avoid an unwanted taste aversion. So far, so good. This creamy cashew version is right on time.

Creamy Cashew Bush Beans:

*1 1/2 Tbsp butter or duck fat (reserved from your roasted duck)

*1 sweet onion, chopped or sliced

*2 garlic cloves, minced

*1 tsp mustard seed

*generous pinch cumin

*a handful of cherry tomatoes or 1 small garden tomato, chopped

*sea salt and pepper

*3/4 cup whole raw jersey milk

*1/4 cup roasted cashew pieces

*2-3 cups green beans, rinsed and trimmed

Place butter or duck fat in a large cast iron skillet over medium/low heat. Saute the onion until slightly tender. Add the garlic, mustard seed and cumin. Stir in the tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the milk and cashews. Allow to simmer, stirring often until milk slightly thickens. Toss in the green beans. Cover and cook until beans reach your desired level of crunchiness, stirring occasionally. Plate beans, spooning extra sauce over top.