I'm a new Saveur subscriber.

And the magazine is growing on me, even if I don't bookmark dozens of recipes. For one thing, issues have only 100 or so pages so there's maybe a couple of dozen recipes total, very manageable.

Numbers-wise, I like that Saveur is heavy on main dishes and vegetables, light on desserts. Food-wise, I appreciate the introductions to a 'world of authentic cuisine'.

Every issue, there's something that demands attention. In May's issue, it was this simple and oh-so-pretty green bean and radish salad.

To my taste, green beans and radishes turned out ** not ** to be a magical pair. But for color alone, I completely recommend this make-ahead recipe.

FOR THE BUDGET-MINDED For me, snapping green beans is an extraordinarily tedious job. I SOOOOO understand why people pay $8 a pound for pre-washed, pre-snapped, perfect lengths of green beans. But then again -- it really only takes 8 (yes, still tedious) minutes to snap a pound of $.50-a-pound green beans, I figure that's the equivalent of earning -- or saving -- $56 an hour. And so, yes, I snap, snap, snap, snap, snap.

NEXT TIME

• I'll add a tablespoon of mustard seed to the skillet.


• If you make this ahead, be aware that the pretty red radish color washes out after a few hours.

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GREEN BEAN & RADISH SALAD
Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 25 - 30 minutes
Serves 6

Salted water
1 pound green beans, ends snapped, snapped into lengths
"Ice water bath" -- a big bowl, half-filled with ice, then half-filled with cold water

1 tablespoon olive oil (reduced from 4 tablespoons)
1/2 pound radishes, ends trimmed, quartered lengthwise
2 cloves garlic
Salt & pepper to taste
Honey to taste (Saveur said 1 tablespoon, I used about 2 tablespoons)

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to boil. Add the beans and let cook 3 - 4 minutes. Drain and plunge into the ice water bath to stop the cooking. Drain again.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil til shimmery on MEDIUM. Add the beans, radishes and garlic and cook til just soft. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper and honey.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Serving: 72 Cal (27% from Fat, 9% from Protein, 64% from Carb); 2 g Protein; 2 g Tot Fat; 0 g Sat Fat; 13 g Carb; 3 g Fiber; NetCarb10; 40 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 20 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; Weight Watchers 1 point

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT'S DUE
Adapted from Saveur, May 2006