Bean And Olive Puree Recipes

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.

BRUSCHETTA WITH WHITE BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• Puree the beans in a food processor until smooth, adding the reserved liquid, as necessary, for a finished consistency that is spread-able but not too thin. Add olive paste and thyme. Puree again, and while pureeing, add extra-virgin olive oil and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Reserve, and garnish with sprigs of thyme, if desired.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Cut a crispy Italian bread into thick slices. Toast or grill until light brown and crispy. Then swipe once with a clove of fresh garlic, drizzle with olive oil. Spread with the White Bean Puree. Finish with a pinch of gray salt and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.

GRILLED TUNA WITH WHITE BEAN PUREE, OLIVE TAPENADE AND ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lay out cherry vine tomatoes in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle with orange chili oil and roast in the oven for 8 to10 minutes until tomatoes are slightly burst and have given off their juices. Set aside.
• Add tapenade ingredients to a food processor and process to a coarse puree. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a saucepan add a 2 count of extra-virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovies and sweat for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the beans followed by the warm chicken stock and cook until heated through. Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree with a splash of white vinegar, salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Thin with extra stock if the puree is too thick. Give it a final taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
• Now prepare the tuna. Heat a large cast iron griddle pan over high heat. Drizzle the tuna with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill for about 45 seconds and then turn over and do the same. The tuna should be rare on the inside and have nice grill marks on the outside.
• To serve, smear a spoonful of the white bean puree on the bottom of a plate. Top with a the tuna and a spoonful of tapenade over the top. Set a cluster of the roasted tomatoes over the top and drizzle the juices from the pan all around the plate. Garnish with fresh arugula leaves.
• Make the chili oil by adding the thyme, rosemary, chili flakes and orange peel to the oil. Put aside and let it sit for at least 1 hour to let the flavors infuse.

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.

FAVA BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Drop the shelled fava beans in the water, and boil five minutes (if the beans are small or medium-size) to eight minutes (if the beans are large). Transfer the beans immediately to the cold water. Do not drain the water in the pot. Allow the beans to cool for several minutes, then drain and slip off their skins.
• Place the skinned fava beans, salt and mashed garlic in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Turn on the machine, and with the machine running, add the olive oil in a slow stream. Process until you achieve a smooth purée. If necessary, add enough of the cooking water to give the purée a soft, hummuslike consistency. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, taste and adjust seasoning.
• Mound the purée onto an earthenware platter or in a wide bowl. Garnish with olives, and serve with crostini or warm triangles of pita bread.

WHITE BEAN AND OLIVE DIP

Steps:

• Toast pine nuts in a skillet over medium heat, shaking skillet once, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool, and chop coarsely. Toast cumin seeds in the same skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pulse beans, lemon juice, mayonnaise, cayenne, and cumin in a food processor until combined. With the machine running, add oil in a slow stream, processing until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in pine nuts and olives, and season with salt. Serve with crackers and carrot sticks.

FAVA BEAN PURéE WITH OIL-CURED OLIVES, FRENCH FETA, AND GARLIC TOASTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Cut the baguette on the diagonal into twelve 1/4-inch-thick slices. (You may have leftover bread.) Brush both sides of each slice generously with olive oil (about 1/4 cup in all). Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crispy but still tender in the center. While the toasts are warm, rub them with one of the garlic cloves.
• Mince the remaining garlic clove.
• Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
• Meanwhile, remove the beans from their pods.
• Blanch the beans for about 2 minutes in the boiling water. Drain the beans in a colander, cool them in the ice water, and then slip them out of their pale green shells with your fingers.
• Heat a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil, the rosemary sprig, and the chile. Let them sizzle in the oil a minute or two, then stir in the minced garlic. Let it sizzle for a minute and stir in the fava beans, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Simmer the beans 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're tender (the exact time will depend on the starchiness of the favas). Strain the beans, reserving the oil. Discard the rosemary and chile.
• Transfer the beans into a food processor and purée them. With the motor running, pour in half the reserved oil slowly, until the purée is velvety smooth. Once the purée is smooth, pour in more of the reserved olive oil to taste. Squeeze in some lemon juice, and taste for seasoning. (The amount of oil you will need depends on the starchiness of the beans.)
• In a small bowl, toss the olives and parsley with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Crumble in the feta, tossing gently to combine.
• Spoon the warm fava bean purée onto a platter. Place the grilled toasts off to one side, and scatter the feta-olive salad over the purée.