Green Beans with Bacon

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans fresh snipped cut in half if you want
• 4 servings salt 
• 2 slices bacon 
• 4 servings bell pepper black
• 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• paper towels
• pot
• slotted spoon

Directions

1. Heat a pot of salted water to a rolling boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water).
2. Add the green beans and boil them for 4-5 minutes, until just tender enough to eat (you may have to cook longer depending on the particular green beans you have).
3. Drain and set aside.
4. Cook the bacon: While the water is heating up to boil the beans, slowly cook the bacon until crispy in a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat.
5. Use a slotted spoon or a fork to remove the bacon from the pan. Set the bacon on paper towels to sop up the excess fat.
6. You should have about one tablespoon of fat left in the pan.
7. Pour off any fat beyond 1 tablespoon. (Do not pour the fat down the drain or you'll stop up your drain.) If you have much less fat than a tablespoon left in the pan, add a little olive oil or butter to the pan.
8. Sauté the green beans in the bacon fat: Once the green beans are cooked, sauté them over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes in the bacon fat.
9. Dice the bacon and add to the pan and sauté another minute.
10. Put the beans and bacon into a large serving bowl and sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper. Toss with lemon juice or vinegar and serve at once.