Romano beans are summer in vegetable form. Flat and wide, with a meaty texture that holds up to heat, they deserve a place at the center of your table from July through September. At the farmers' market, look for pods that feel heavy and firm, bright green with no rust spots or yellowing. They should snap cleanly when bent. If a farmer will let you taste one raw, do it. A good Romano bean is sweet and grassy, with none of the squeaky bitterness of tired produce.

This is not a recipe so much as an approach. The beans do the work. You blanch them briefly, just until tender, then warm them in a skillet with shallots that have gone soft and golden in good olive oil. A squeeze of lemon at the end wakes everything up. That is all.

I learned to cook vegetables this way in France, where the quality of the ingredient determines the success of the dish before you even light the stove. When the beans are right, you get out of the way. You do not mask them with heavy sauces or drown them in butter. You let things taste of what they are.