White Bean And Grilled Vegetable Puree Recipes

WHITE BEAN PURéE WITH GARLIC VINAIGRETTE AND CROUTES

Steps:

• Make dressing:
• Blanch garlic in a small saucepan of boiling water 3 minutes, then drain and finely chop. Transfer garlic to a bowl and whisk in mustard and vinegar. Add 3 tablespoons oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
• Make bean purée:
• Soak beans in water to cover by 2 inches in a large bowl at least 8 hours, then drain. Simmer beans with thyme in fresh water to cover by 2 inches in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan, partially covered, until very tender, about 1 1/4 hours (some beans will fall apart). Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and drain beans, discarding thyme.
• Crumble bread into a large bowl and stir in cream. Force beans through food mill into moistened bread, then stir in oil. Add reserved cooking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time for a spreadable consistency. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Serve warm with vinaigrette spooned over purée.

GRILLED FETA AND PEPPERS ON PUREE OF WHITE BEANS

Steps:

• Place beans in a bowl, cover with water by a few inches, and soak overnight. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a saucepan, add the onions and saute until soft and just golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Drain the beans and add them to the saucepan. Cook over low heat until beans are very soft, adding more water if needed, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (There should hardly be any liquid left when the beans are ready.)
• Meanwhile, roast bell peppers over a gas flame or on a tray under the broiler. Keep turning so the skin is evenly charred, without burning and drying out the flesh. Transfer charred peppers to a plastic bag, tie the top closed and let steam until cool to the touch, about 15 minutes. To peel peppers, pull off the charred skin by hand and then dip the peppers briefly in water to remove any blackened bits. (Do not peel the peppers under running water since that would wash away the flavorful juices.) Once peeled, cut away stems, seeds and veins, and slice peppers into strips.
• Heat a grill. In a small bowl, combine the oregano, olive oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper.
• Cut six 12-inch squares of aluminum foil. Divide pepper strips among center of foil squares. Arrange one feta square atop peppers, along with tomato slices, and drizzle reserved olive oil mixture over the top. Wrap foil packets securely and place on grill or under the broiler. Grill until packets are heated through, about 5 minutes.
• When beans are ready, mash them with the back of a spoon to form a paste, or place in a blender and process until smooth. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with the lemon juice, sugar, and salt and pepper.
• Spoon bean puree onto individual plates, and use a spatula to slip roasted peppers, feta and tomatoes off of foil and onto puree. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with Kalamata olives, and serve with Retsina.

BAKED WHITE BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a medium saucepan coated with olive-oil cooking spray over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic, and saute until translucent. Add 1 teaspoon rosemary, cannellini beans, and salt and pepper, and saute until very hot.
• Transfer bean mixture to the bowl of a food processor, add white-wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 3 tablespoons reserved bean liquid, and then puree until smooth.
• Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, remaining teaspoon rosemary, and remaining teaspoon olive oil in a small bowl, and stir until well combined.
• Place bean puree in an ovenproof bowl; top with the bread-crumb mixture. Transfer to oven; bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot with toast and assorted vegetables.

WHITE BEANS AND GREENS

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on paper towels and chop when cool enough to handle.
• Add tomatoes, onion, and garlic to the bacon fat. Cook over medium-high until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add Swiss chard and chicken stock, cover, and steam until chard is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add beans and chopped bacon. Cook until liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan and season with salt and pepper.

GRILLED MUSHROOM BURGER WITH WHITE-BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Make bean puree: In a food processor, combine one-quarter of garlic (about 1/2 teaspoon), 1 tablespoon thyme, the cannellini beans, and 1 teaspoon oil; process to form a smooth and spreadable paste. If mixture is too thick, add 1 teaspoon water. Season with pepper, and pulse to combine. Set aside.
• Combine the remaining garlic, tablespoon thyme, and oil on a plate or in a baking pan. Place the mushroom caps in the garlic mixture, and turn to coat. Season with pepper; drizzle with vinegar.
• Place onion slices on a plate, and lightly coat each side with cooking spray. Grill the onions until lightly charred on the first side, about 3 minutes. Flip the onions, and continue grilling until tender and charred on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Transfer onions to a clean plate; keep warm.
• Place mushrooms on the grill, stem side up, working in batches if necessary. Grill until browned on the first side and juices have begun to collect in the centers, about 5 minutes. Flip mushrooms, and continue cooking until stem side of each cap is browned and center is tender, about 4 minutes more.
• Split hamburger buns in half, and place cut side down on the grill; cook until warm and toasted. Transfer to a work surface. Spread 1/4 cup bean puree on the bottom half of each bun, and top with two grilled mushroom caps. Layer each with sliced cheese, grilled onions, and a small handful of arugula. Top each with matching roll halves, and serve.

GRILLED VEGETABLE AND WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Heat a griddle pan over a medium to high heat. Drizzle over the one T olive oil.
• Cook the peppers for 4 - 5 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown griddle marks appear on each side, then remove from the pan to a dish that can be kept warm and set aside.
• Add the onion rings to the pan the peppers were cooked in and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown griddle marks appear on each side, then remove from the pan add to the peppers and keep warm.
• Add the courgette slices to the pan the onion was cooked in and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown griddle marks appear on each side, then remove from the pan add to the onions & peppers and keep warm.
• Add the mushrooms to the pan the courgettes were cooked in and cook for 3 - 4 minutes, turning once, or until golden brown griddle marks appear on each side, then remove from the pan add to the other veggies and keep warm.
• Add the griddled vegetables to a large serving bowl. Add the beans, tomatoes, basil leaves, rocket leaves and feta cheese and mix well to combine.
• Drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, to taste. Season with salt and black pepper.

WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• 1. Soak the beans overnight. Or place beans in a pot, cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat; remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 1 hour.
• 2. Drain the beans; transfer to a 2-quart pot with the diced onion, celery, carrot, smashed garlic, bay leaf, thyme sprigs, 5 cups of broth, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat; simmer until beans are very tender, about 90 minutes. If the mixture becomes dry, add some of the remaining broth.
• 3. Drain the beans; discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Warm the beans in a pan over medium heat. Add the cream, thyme leaves, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Let simmer. Cook until the cream is reduced and is almost dry on the beans, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• 4. Puree the beans in a food processor, adding a few drops of oil. Adjust seasonings.

PUREED WHITE BEANS WITH ROAST GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top of the head of the garlic and pull away any loose papery skin. Put the garlic on a piece of foil and sprinkle it with two tablespoons olive oil and wrap it up. Bake it for one hour, or until the cloves are tender.
• Meanwhile, simmer the beans in water to cover for about one hour, or until they are tender. Halfway through cooking time, season them with salt and pepper.
• Put the beans in a food processor. Squeeze six cloves of garlic out of their skins and add them, along with the olive oil (reserve the rest of the garlic for using in salad dressings or on vegetables like baked tomatoes). Process the beans until they are smooth, adding more oil if needed. Correct seasoning and add more garlic if it seems needed. Stir in the thyme leaves and serve in a bowl garnished with sprigs of thyme.

WHITE-BEAN PUREE WITH WHITE TRUFFLES

Steps:

• Cover the beans with water, and soak overnight. Or use the quick- soaking method: Cover the beans with water, bring to a boil, and boil 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, and set aside for 1 hour.
• Drain the beans and discard the soaking water. Place the beans, onion, sage, garlic and oil in soup kettle. Add fresh water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook, covered, at a bare simmer until the beans are very soft, 40 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age of the beans. Keep a teakettle of water simmering, and as the beans absorb the liquid, add more water, little by little. The beans should always be covered by liquid but never swimming in it.
• If fresh sage is used, remove the sprigs and discard. Place the beans and liquid in a food processor, and process until very smooth. If using fresh white truffle, scrape half into the puree, and continue processing until well blended. Serve the puree immediately, with the remaining truffle shaved over the surface. If using truffle paste, puree the entire amount with the beans just before serving.