Early Fall Green Beans

We bought some green beans at a farm stand near Hendersonville, North Carolina, this weekend, and because it's September, they were not exactly young and delicate. So I cobbled together this recipe out of several things: my standard lemon-zest-and-olive oil recipe, Viana La Place's butter-and-basil recipe, and the wonderful wrinkled look of Chinese stir-fried green beans. It was great. Here is what to do with tough older green beans:

De-stem (or top and tail if they are yucky) one pound of green beans, and break them into 2" pieces.

Boil for 5-8 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons butter in a big skillet. Toss beans in. Saute over medium low heat -- really, just let them sit quietly, barely cooking, absorbing the butter -- for about 20 minutes. It's sort of like a lidless braise. Add salt to taste. When beans are tender, add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon small or chiffonaded basil leaves. Toss again, turn off heat, and let sit at room temperature until serving.

Please note the highly literal photo, which contains green beans and autumnal gourds. (It also contains fried eggplant and a caprese salad.)