Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Purée

Roasted Garlic & Cannellini Bean Purée

This roasted garlic and cannellini bean purée has a luscious creamy texture and makes a great side dish or even a dip served with some pita’s chips on the side not to mention the nutritional value.  The garlic turning soft and creamy becomes sweet when roasted.  It makes a great presentation as a base layer on a plate when topping with sliced chicken, pork beef, fish or vegetables.  I really like drizzling truffle oil on and around it bringing out the smokey flavors if serving with a rack of lamb or a beef tenderloin.  Try the stuffed roulades of chicken, or sautéed chicken breasts recipes to go with this delicious purée.  For such complex flavors it’s amazing how easy it is to make.  I came up with this recipe because I like sauces and I wanted something with that creamy texture feel yet healthy for you and here it is.

Ingredients:

• 1 can cannellini beans (butter beans are great too)
• 4 lg roasted garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup white wine (pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc …what ever you favorite wine is just not a sweet one)
• salt and pepper to taste
• a dash of Tabasco for a kick

Directions:

1. Rinse cannellini beans and place in a medium sauce pan with 4 roasted garlic cloves, broth and wine on medium/high heat.
2. Bring to a simmer and turn heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes more.
3. Add the beans to a blender and purée.
4. You may need to stop and stir and purée again because it is a thick mixture in a blender, and if you really need to loosen it up add 1-2 Tbsp of water or milk.
5. It’s as simple as that.