WGBH - Dips RSS

White Bean and Walnut Dip

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:14 PM +0000

Like salsa became a staple in everyone's fridge a decade or so ago, another foreign favorite, hummus, is everywhere from fancy restaurants to kids' lunch boxes. And while they're sort of polar opposites, both imports are very good for you.

Actually this isn't a classic hummus recipe—more of a riff on our favorite Middle Eastern bean dip—we're going to start with cannellini beans instead of garbanzos and go Mediterranean...

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together a can of canneleini beans (make sure you rinse them well so they don't taste like the can they came from) add some walnuts that get a flavor turbo charge from a quick toasting, and a few sprigs of aromatic rosemary. A bit of lemon and onion and you are good to pulse away until smooth. Try that with some toasted bread or crunchy, sliced vegetables.

Yield: 15 servings
Total time: 15 minutes
Prep time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 medium baguette, cut into ¼-inch thick, slices
2 cans Great Northern or Canellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup whole walnuts, lightly toasted
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 medium red onion
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed
kosher or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Garnish: 1 sprig rosemary, extra walnut pieces

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange baguette slices on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine beans, walnuts, olive oil, onion, lemon juice, and rosemary—puree until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon the dip into a serving bowl and arrange the toasted baguette slices on a platter around it.

Garnish with the rosemary sprig and extra walnut pieces.

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Annie B. Copps is a senior editor at Yankee Magazine. Annie oversees the magazine's food coverage, both as an editor and as a contributor of feature stories and columns.

Zesty Applesauce
By Lidia Bastianich

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:04 PM +0000

Everyone loves a good applesauce. So why don't you try the zesty version straight from Northern Italy? I know that once you have tasted this dish, a recipe found in my cookbook, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, you will never go back to the plain applesauce.

Directions
Set the applesauce in a pan. Make your own or pick some up at the store.

Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, some freshly grated horseradish…and yes horseradish root is available at most grocery stores. It resembles a carrot and like a carrot you can peel it and shred it.

Let the apple, lemon and shredded horseradish cook together.

Once it is perking add ½ a cup of heavy cream.

Stir well to allow all of the flavors to combine.

Serve this delightfully tangy applesauce warm along side a luscious ham, turkey, chicken or roast beef.
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Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in Pola, Istria, on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. She is a cookbook author, restaurateur, and TV chef extraordinaire. Watch Lidia's Italy Saturdays at 1:30pm on WGBH 2 or Sundays at 4pm on WGBH 44.

Garlic Butter
By Lidia Bastianich

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 15:29 PM +0000

A quick, delicious, and useful recipe. With this recipe you can quickly make seared shrimp, scallops, or just toss with pieces of chicken breast and voilà! A beautiful dish!

Buon appetito!

Ingredients
2 sticks of unsalted butter
Garlic
Shallots
Extra virgin olive oil
White wine
Fresh parsley
Lemon juice

Directions
To make garlic butter simply heat some extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add a little finely chopped garlic, and a few chopped shallots. Cook these together over a low heat for 2-3 minutes.

Pour in some white wine, a little lemon juice, and bring all ingredients to a boil until almost evaporated.

Let this cool completely while the sticks of unsalted butter are softening, then blend it all together with some chopped parsley.

The flavored butter will keep in the refirdgerator for a week or more. Just roll or cover it tightly in cellophane wrap.
___________________________________________________________
Lidia Matticchio Bastianich was born in Pola, Istria, on the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. She is a cookbook author, restaurateur, and TV chef extraordinaire. Watch Lidia's Italy Saturdays at 1:30pm on WGBH 2 or Sundays at 4pm on WGBH 44.

WGBH - Dips RSS

White Bean and Walnut Dip

Zesty ApplesauceBy Lidia Bastianich

Garlic Butter By Lidia Bastianich

Zesty Applesauce
By Lidia Bastianich

Garlic Butter
By Lidia Bastianich