Snap off the end(s) of the green beans and wash well (if they are fresh). If the beans are really long, you can cut/snap them in half. Frozen bean will be ready to use.

Heat enough water in a pot to just cover the beans and bring to a boil. When boiling, toss in the beans. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes then add about ½ tsp of salt. Check to see if they are ready, but you may need to continue cooking for another 1 to 5 minutes. The size of the beans will determine how long they need to cook (mine were ready in about 8 mins).

If you want to cool them quickly, or you might have cooked them longer than you wanted to, run them under cold water. If not, just drain and put into a bowl.

Add the sliced garlic (if using). If not using garlic, you can add a strong wine vinegar. In Italy, it's either with garlic or vinegar, but not both (according to my mother). Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over the beans. Add the red wine vinegar if you didn't add garlic, and finally, salt if necessary (it will almost definitely need more salt).

Toss and mix well and either serve immediately, or refrigerate if serving cold.