We had a dinner party last night. It seems that every time we have friends over for dinner, the appetizers are an afterthought and we end up putting cheese, crackers, and olives out for our guests for before dinner snacks. This time I wanted to try something a little different. I love beans of all kinds and I don’t make them nearly enough. Beans are so versatile and varied and I’m committed to using them more often.
Jim’s mother used to make Pasta Fagioli soup with cannellini beans and pasta. Her soup was always delicious and I came to love these white beans. There are also many other soups you can make with cannellini beans. For today’s post, I wanted to make an appetizer with white beans and I think this dip was a success.
I used a good bit of roasted garlic for this recipe. If you’ve never roasted garlic, try this foolproof method. Take a whole bulb of garlic and cut the top third off so the top of each clove is exposed. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, squeeze each clove and they’ll pop out. Use the remaining roasted garlic as a spread on toasted crostini. I think you’ll find it’s delicious!
I also made my own pita chips for this post. I know you can buy them, but you can make them very easily and I like home made ones much better. Basically, you cut pita bread into triangles and bake them with olive oil. See the recipe for more details.
This is a great appetizer or party food. Try this and let me know what you think.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked and drained Great Northern or Cannellini beans (dried or canned)
5 roasted garlic cloves
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 package of whole wheat pita bread
Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
1. Wash 1 lb package dried Great Northern or Cannellini beans and soak in large pot overnight.
2. Add three bay leaves and bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour or until beans are tender.
4. Measure 2 cups beans and save the rest for soup or another dish.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut each pita in half.
3. Cut each half into 3 triangles.
4. Cut the outer side of each triangles separating each one into two triangles.
5. Place triangles on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil.
6. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until chips are browning and crisp.
1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food process and blend until smooth.
2. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place in bowl and top with additional dill and parsley and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Serve with pita chips.
https://southernboydishes.com/2013/01/14/white-bean-dip-with-pita-chips/
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Oh I love this dip and the wonderful toasted pita chips. As far as the roasted garlic goes, you can never add too much garlic to a dip! 🙂 Saving this recipe to make very soon!