1 lb. green beans, strings removed
Dressing:
4 Tbsp red miso
2 Tbsp white sesame seed, toasted and ground
1-1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp mirin (cooking sake)

     Chop or snap beans into 1-3/4 inch lengths.  Cook, covered, in lightly salted boiling water until barely tender.  Rinse in cold water and drain.

     Make dressing.  Add the red miso all at once to freshly ground sesame in a grinding bowl/mortar and mix with the pestle.  Add sugar and mirin and mix with the pestle or rubber spatula.  The dressing will be rather coarse in texture.
 

     To serve: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the beans and the sesame-miso dressing and mix until beans are well-coated.  Serve at room temperature in neat mounds in individual dishes. (4 servings)