White Bean Skordalia Recipes

WHITE BEAN AND BREAD CRUMB SKORDALIA

Steps:

• If using dried beans, place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and let beans sit for 1 hour. Drain and cover with cold water again, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 40 minutes, or until tender. Add salt and cook 10 minutes more. Drain and set aside until ready to use. (If using canned beans, add as directed in step 2. No additional salt is needed.)
• To make skordalia, place bread chunks in a food processor or blender and process into coarse crumbs. Add beans, garlic, pepper, and lemon juice, and blend until almost smooth. With the motor running, pour in olive oil and 2/3 cup cold water. Let sit for 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add more water if mixture is too stiff.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. To makeherbed toast, mince together parsley,oregano, and salt. Spread 1/4 teaspoon ofherbs on each slice of bread and place ona baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, oruntil lightly toasted. Serve with skordalia.

SKORDALIA

Steps:

• Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Season the water with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water in the saucepan.
• To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add the almonds, garlic, oregano and 2 teaspoons salt. Process to a paste. With the machine running, add the lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil in a slow steady stream until very smooth. Add the drained potatoes and pulse to combine. Add 1 cup of the reserved potato cooking liquid. Pulse to bring together and then process until just smooth and light, adding more water if needed (the consistency should be similar to hummus). Taste and season with salt, if needed.
• Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with chili oil. Serve with vegetables and pita chips for dipping.
• Heat a grill pan or gas or charcoal grill over medium-high heat.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil and heat until shimmering, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chives, dill, red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes until infused. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Liberally brush the pita breads with oil on both sides, allowing any excess to drip off. Place the oiled breads onto the hot grill to sear and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Brush the grilled pita breads with the herby butter and season with sumac and flaky salt, if desired. Cut into wedges and serve as dippers with the skordalia.

FRENCH FRY SKORDALIA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the french fries on a baking sheet and bake until golden and warmed through, about 10 minutes.
• Put the garlic, almonds and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the french fries, lemon juice, 1 1/4 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and pulse until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pita chips and/or vegetables.

WHITE BEAN PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet (preferably straight-sided) over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and 1 teaspoon salt, and stir, then cook undisturbed in an even layer until one side is golden, about 4 minutes. (It's great if the butter browns, but decrease the heat if it threatens to get too dark.) Stir in the asparagus, carrot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the peas, scallions and ½ teaspoon salt, then add the red-pepper flakes, oregano and a generous amount of black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the peas are warmed through and bright green, about 2 minutes.
• Add the white beans and the cream, lower the heat to medium, and let the cream come to a simmer. Simmer for about 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, Parmesan and Dijon. Taste and season with more salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of warm water to the creamy beans to loosen as you like; the sauce will thicken as it cools. (You may need more water when you reheat any leftovers.) Serve in bowls topped with the nuts and a handful of basil leaves. Pass more Parmesan at the table.

LEMONY WHITE BEAN SKORDALIA WITH GRILL-TOASTED PITA

Steps:

• Place beans in heavy medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Let stand at room temperature overnight.
• Drain beans. Return to saucepan. Add enough cold water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover partially and simmer until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Drain beans, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
• Place beans, 2 tablespoons reserved cooking liquid and garlic in processor. Process until beans are coarsely chopped. Add lemon juice, tahini and oil. Process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally and thinning with more cooking liquid by teaspoonfuls if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. Stir in parsley and mint. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill pita wedges until beginning to brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer pita to basket and serve with skordalia.