Miss Avery's Green Bean Casserole

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To give you an idea how ancient today's recipe is, it was given to my mother by the lady hired by my parents to take care of me while my mother gave birth to my brother, way back in nineteen ought fifty-four. Mom says they never knew her as anything other than "Miss Avery."

Miss Avery's Green Bean Casserole

4 Tbs (60 ml) butter
4 Tbs (60 ml) flour
2 cups (500 ml) milk, cream, or combination of the two
A grating of fresh nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups (1 L) cooked green beans (haricots)
1 8 oz (227 g) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 cups (500 ml) fresh or canned bean sprouts
1/2 cup (125 ml) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (60 ml) sliced almonds

Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly incorporated with the butter and is bubbly. Add the milk and/or cream and whisk constantly until it boils. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper and remove from the heat. In a 4 quart (4 L) casserole, layer the green beans, then the water chestnuts, then the bean sprouts. Sprinkle the Parmesan over this and pour the cream sauce over the top. Sprinkle with the almonds and bake in a preheated 350F (180C) oven for 30 minutes, until it bubbles. Serves 4 to 6.

Reproduced by permission of Worldwide Recipes.

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