Bean Puree Recipes

WHITE BEAN PUREE, RADICCHIO, AND RED ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat and gently cook the onion until it's soft but not colored. Add the beans, garlic, chicken stock or water, and salt and pepper. Cook for 4 minutes.
• Process the beans and their cooking liquid in a blender or food processor with the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil and lemon juice, leaving the mixture slightly chunky. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.
• Halve each radicchio. Then thickly slice each radicchio into circles or cut each half into 4 sections, trimming and discarding the base and a little of the white heart from each section.
• Halve the onions and trim the base of each. Cut each half lengthwise into crescent moon-shaped wedges, each about 3/4 inches wide at its thickest part. (Or just slice them horizontally, if you prefer.)
• Mix the olive oil, balsamic, and seasoning together in a dish. Put the onions in a bowl and the radicchio in another bowl then drizzle both with dressing. Gently turn to coat and let sit for about 10 minutes.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat until really hot but not smoking. Cook the onions quickly until well colored on all sides, turning once or more. Reduce the heat to low and let the onions cook, turning frequently, until softened, maybe 2 minutes or so.
• Meanwhile, spoon the white bean puree into a serving dish, reheating it gently first if you want to. The puree can also be served at room temperature.
• Increase the heat under the onions to medium-high, add the radicchio to the skillet, and cook just until the radicchio is wilted and colored on each side-this will happen very quickly, say, 45 seconds or so. Pile the radicchio and onions on top of the white bean puree. Season with salt and black pepper, and serve with a little oil drizzled over the top.

BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• Put beans, bay leaf, crushed garlic, thyme, wine and broth in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer until beans are very tender, about 1 hour 45 minutes, adding more broth or water if needed to keep beans covered.
• Remove from heat. Remove fresh thyme, if used, and bay leaf. Put beans with their liquid in a food processor. Puree until smooth. With machine running, slowly add olive oil and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. If puree is too thick, fold in butter or additional olive oil.

HERB-CRUSTED RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tip the breadcrumbs, herbs, zest and Parmesan into a food processor with 1 tbsp of the oil and some seasoning. Blitz until everything is finely chopped.
• Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Season the lamb, then brown it well on all sides and turn off the heat. Turn the racks so that they are fat-side up, and brush liberally with the mustard (Step 1, above). Pack over the herb crust (Step 2), drizzle with a bit more oil, and roast for 25 mins until the crust is golden and the lamb is cooked - this will produce lamb that is pink in the middle but cooked all the way through. If you like your lamb rarer, roast for only 20 mins; if you like it more done, give it 5 mins more. Put the lamb on a board to rest.
• While the lamb is cooking, blitz the beans with the garlic, anchovies, rosemary, lemon juice, some seasoning and 7 tbsp olive oil (or enough to make it a smooth purée. Tip into a saucepan to gently heat.
• Wilt the spinach in the remaining olive oil in another frying pan. Once the lamb has rested, carefully carve it into chops (Step 3), trying to keep the crust intact. Divide the warm bean purée between 4 plates, add a small mound of spinach, then arrange 3 lamb chops on top of each portion. Sprinkle with stray crumbs and drizzle with a little olive oil.

PUREE OF GREEN BEANS AU GRATIN

Steps:

• Tear off and discard tips of each green bean. If there are "strings" along the side, strip them off and discard them. Break beans in half or in quarters.
• Bring enough water to a boil to cover beans when they are added. Drop beans into the water and when water returns to the boil let cook 8 to 9 minutes until crisp tender. Drain thoroughly.
• Pour beans into container of a food processor or electric blender and blend until coarsely processed. There should be about two cups.
• Heat butter in a saucepan and add bean puree. Add cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat, stirring, until piping hot.
• Meanwhile, preheat broiler to high.
• Spoon green bean mixture into a shallow round or oval baking dish and cover evenly with cheese. Place under broiler and cook until cheese is thoroughly melted and nicely browned on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

SESAME-ROASTED CHICKEN WITH BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• For the sesame-roasted chicken: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Whisk together the sesame oil, lime and orange juice, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds and the hot sauce if using in a large bowl. Reserve half of the sauce in a small bowl, then toss the chicken with the remaining sauce. Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and roast about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the broccoli rabe in a medium bowl with the olive oil, remaining tablespoon sesame seeds and some salt and pepper. After the chicken has roasted for 35 minutes, add the broccoli rabe to the baking sheet with the chicken. Continue to roast until the chicken is cooked through and the thickest part of a thigh registers 160 degrees F, about 10 minutes more.
• For the bean puree: While the chicken is cooking, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute over low heat. Add the stock and beans, turn the heat to high and bring to simmer; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and mash or puree until smooth.
• To serve, spread the bean puree on a plate, top with the chicken and broccoli rabe and drizzle with the reserved sauce. Garnish with cilantro if you have it.

WHITE BEAN PUREE

Steps:

• In a saucepan, sweat the garlic in chicken stock. Add the beans and cook until heated through.
• Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and puree with the remaining ingredients, except hot pepper sauce. Adjust seasoning, and add hot sauce, to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

WHITE BEAN PURéE

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon; sauté until brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add carrot, onion and rosemary; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add cannellini and broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Puree mixture in processor. Return to saucepan. Season with salt and pepper.