Green Beans with Spanish Almond Sauce

Dairy-based sauces tend to dull the flavor of fresh produce. We prefer Spain’s salsa de almendras, or almond sauce. The nuts are blended to create a sauce with creamy richness, but none of the heft of dairy. We pair it with tender-crisp blanched green beans, but it’s excellent on many blanched or roasted vegetables; instructions follow. The sauce can be made up to three days ahead. It can be served warm (reheat over medium-low, stirring in a bit of water if needed to thin) or room temperature (if refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for one hour).