Sunday, February 24, 2008

Cannellini Spread / White Bean Dip


I don't know about you, but I love the versatility of good quality canned beans. Not all canned beans are alike though, and I also find that I like different brands for for different beans. For garbanzo beans I like Progreso, but for Cannellini beans I like Eden Organic which I buy at Whole Foods. I like them not only because they are organic, but also because the beans are consistently whole, perfectly cooked (not crunchy), and don't have that slimy liquid usually found in canned beans. I wanted a spread bread which would come together quickly and this fit the bill perfectly. I usually make pita bread when I make this for a party, but time did not allow for that today. Soon I will post my pita recipe- it is super easy and fun to make.

I added a variety of herbs to enhance the flavor and lemon juice for a little acidity and to make the flavors pop. I used two 15 oz cans, but only processed 1-1/2 cans in the food processor- I added the reserved beans to the dip once it was ready to give it a little texture and garnish with. When I have roasted garlic on hand, I add a clove or two- roasting the garlic makes it sweet and mellow. The recipe makes 2 cups, it keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week- but I find we usually eat within a day or two- it's quite good.



Cannellini Spread / White Bean Dip

2 15 oz cans white beans, rinsed and drained
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (Fleur de sel)- or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme

1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with sliced French baguettes or grilled pita bread.

14 comments:

  1. I love dips of all sorts, but I've never tried one with cannellini beans...yum!

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  2. great food styling. thanks for the food porn.

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  3. it seems like there's ALWAYS garlic in dips like this, so i'm thrilled to find a recipe that uses something different to provide flavor. what can i say, sometimes i get tired of garlic breath. :)
    also, i love pita bread, so i'm looking forward to seeing your recipe!

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  4. Your spread looks wonderful and tasty!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  5. i've never had a white bean dip without tons of garlic (i'm totally guilty of that too). this looks and sounds really tasty, and that second pic is mouth-watering.

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  6. I have seen recipes for similar dips, but have never tried it. I might whip some up at lunch today!

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  7. I love white bean dip more than hummus -- same texture, but a milder and more flexible flavor. I love making this in the summer with herbs from my garden.

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  8. This looks delicious! Love the idea of roasted garlic in there too. I didn't realize (or hadn't noticed) the difference in canned beans - now I want to do a taste test!

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  9. thanks for saving my bacon! i promised to bring my fave 'hummus' recipe to a potluck tmw night and, after ripping through recipe books and a miriad of tattered clippings, i can't find it. your recipe matches my recollection of the ingredients (didn't call for tahini but did use cannellini *and garbanzo* beans). thanks for the recipe!

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  10. Oh, I tried this the other night and it was wonderful (although I oversalted it a touch)! Thank you so much for sharing it!

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  11. Very tasty.
    I did it with more basil and cumin.
    Thanks for the recipe!

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  12. Kait, I use coarse sea salt, if you use regular fine salt the amount would be half- and that applies to any of my recipes. If sea salt is not available you could try Kosher salt and the amount would remain the same.

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  13. Hi there. Just thought I'd let you know I stopped by in my endeavour to find a nice White Bean dip recipe and yours looks pretty good. I'm a blogger now and it's nice to know people use your recipes, no matter how long ago you posted them. You've got some great recipes!

    Anne @ Domesblissity

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  14. This is the third time I've made this recipe and I am in love with it! I don't eat meat so it's a nice change to make instead of hummus. I usually have grow Rosemary and parsley and cook cannellini beans in bulk and freeze them so it's easy to make. Try it with cucumber slices - yummy!

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