Spicy White Bean Bruschetta Recipes

WHITE BEAN BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Set oven to high broil. On a sheet pan, roast the bell pepper whole and the clove of garlic in its skin. Drizzle both with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Broil about 10 to 20 minutes (can vary by oven), rotating the pepper a few times with tongs until the skin starts to blacken on all sides. Remove from oven and let sit on the pan to cool slightly. The pepper will "deflate" as it sits.
• Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in a large bowl, except cheese and bread.
• When pepper is slightly cooled, peel off the charred skin the best you can and remove the stem and seeds. Do not rinse. Don't worry if you can't get the skin off, it's completely edible. Slice the pepper. Remove the garlic's skin and smash and mince it. Add both to the bowl including any oils that may be on the pan.
• Slice a baguette and add it to the pan that you roasted the pepper on. Drizzle it and toss with olive oil. Broil the bread in the oven, flipping once, a few minutes until toasted.
• Serve the white bean bruschetta in a bowl surrounded by the toasted crostini baguette and topped with shaved Parmesan cheese. To eat, let guests spoon the mixture onto the bread or serve it already assembled on a platter. The bruschetta can be served hot or cold or somewhere in between. The heat from the pepper gives it a nice contrast, but refrigerating the whole mixture and serving it cold is fine too. Makes a great appetizer, lunch, or dinner side dish!

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.

BRUSCHETTA WITH WHITE BEANS, SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Rinse the beans well and then put in a 1-quart saucepan. Cover with water to 1-inch over the top of the beans. On medium-high heat, bring to a boil. Immediately take the pot away from the burner, cover and hold for 1 hour. Change the water; add half of the extra-virgin olive oil, 1 garlic clove and the bay leaf. Cook beans on low. Simmer for about 40 minutes or until tender. During last 10 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in carefully. Remove from heat and hold in the saucepan with the cooking liquid until cool. This may be done 1 to 2 days before serving, and kept refrigerated.
• For the bruschetta topping:
• Preheat a grill or stove-top grill pan.
• Grill the bread on both sides until crispy. Be careful on high heat as bread burns easily.
• While bread is grilling, in a saute pan on medium heat, toast the sliced garlic in the olive oil. When it is light golden, add the chili flakes, cook for 10 seconds and then add the basil leaves. Do this carefully, as the basil may spatter some oil.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the beans to the pan. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the bean cooking liquid (or liquid from canned beans) and mix all together. Hold warm. Adjust consistency, as necessary, with the bean liquid, a little at a time.
• When the basil leaves are wilted, remove mixture from the heat. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and chopped parsley. Toss to combine and adjust the seasoning with lemon juice, to taste, and salt and pepper.
• Lightly swipe the remaining garlic clove on 1 side of the bread. Arrange the toasted bruschetta on a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining extra-virgin olive oil. Top each piece with some of the tomato-bean mixture, then evenly divide the ricotta salata over the mixture. Serve warm.

BRUSCHETTA WITH SPICY CECI BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• 1. On a cutting board and using the blade and flat side of a large, sharp knife, mince and mash the garlic and salt to make a paste.
• 2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the ceci beans with the garlic paste, tahini, onion, the 1/4 cup of oil, lemon juice, vinegar, red pepper, and honey. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. The texture of the paste should be that of spreadable peanut butter; if necessary, thin it with water and pulse again.
• 3. Spread the bean paste on the bruschetta. Sprinkle with pine nuts, tarragon, and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve garnished with lemon wedges for squeezing over the bruschetta.

WHITE BEAN BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Combine the beans, tomatoes, olives, 4 T. olive oil, basil and garlic. Season mixture with salt and pepper to taste .
• Place bread slices on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush tops with remaining oil. Broil 3-4 inches from the heat until golden - about 1 minute.
• Sprinkle slices with cheese and spread. Top with the bean mixture. Serve immediately.

BRUSCHETTA WITH WHITE BEANS AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Place beans in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover beans by 2 inches. Bring to boil. Boil 2 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain beans.
• Return beans to same saucepan. Add celery stalks, carrots, onions, pepper, cloves and bay leaf. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until beans are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. (Beans and vegetables can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Drain beans, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Discard vegetables, cloves and bay leaf. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add 2 cups beans (reserve remaining beans for another use), both cheeses, 3 tablespoons parsley, 2 tablespoons butter, rosemary, sage and reserved 1/3 cup cooking liquid. Stir until cheeses and butter melt, whisking constantly and mashing come of beans to form thick chunky sauce. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat broiler. Arrange bread on large baking sheet. Brush top of each bread slice with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Rub with cut side of garlic clove halves. Broil bread until lightly toasted. Transfer bread to plates.
• Spoon bean mixture atop bread. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

WHITE BEAN BRUSCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat grill pan or broiler.
• In a bowl, gently combine the beans, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red pepper, basil and garlic.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• It's nice if the mixture can sit for a half an hour or so.
• For the bread: I usually warm a clove or two of chopped garlic in some olive oil to infuse the flavor.
• This can be done on the stovetop over VERY low heat, or in the microwave heated for about 30 seconds.
• Add a couple shakes of salt and pepper, and brush garlic oil evenly over the bread slices.
• Toast bread under the broiler, or on a grill pan for a few minutes (3-5), until slightly brown and crisp, or until there are grill marks.
• Top the bread slices with the bean mixture and drizzle any extra balsamic/oil over the top.
• This bruschetta is nice served with a tossed green salad.