Tuscan beans dip / side

Prep time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4-6 servings as an appetizer, 2-4 servings as a side
Ingredients:

• 2 cans white beans (navy, great northern, cannellini)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 bulb of garlic peeled, chopped

• 1-2 sprigs of rosemary

• 1 tbsp of avocado oil

• Salt to taste (about 1/2 tsp of salt)

• Extra virgin olive oil to serve

• Optional - dash of mushroom garum / fish sauce

Cooking Tools:

• Hand-held blender / spoon to mash beans

• Pot to cook the beans in

Directions :

1. Heat the avocado oil and sauté the garlic till fragrant

2. Add the beans in and cook on low heat. Add in the onion powder and garlic powder, along with the rosemary. Stir regularly so the beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Stir and cook for about ~15min.

3. Add the salt and mushroom garum to taste. Use the hand blender to blend half the beans (or smash the beans with a spoon and stir). Remove the rosemary sprig.

4. Stir, serve with extra virgin olive oil

Cooking Tip:

• The flavor of rosemary really enhances the beans - I found blending off little bits of rosemary leaves into the beans quite delicious.

• White beans tend to be sometimes slightly harder to digest, so I either cook my own in an instapot, or buy Eden canned beans since they tend to be cooked with kombu kelp (which helps make beans more digestible).

Stay healthy with Annie:

A good Italian friend of mine had mentioned that in Italy, they refer to the Tuscans as bean eaters, mangiafagioli, so when I spent time in Tuscany, I always made point to seek out bean dishes. What I discovered was just how rich and creamy a simple bean dish could be when eaten with a simple piece of bread, and fell in love with these rustic Tuscan cucina povera dish.

The subtle flavor of rosemary in the dish is truly what makes the beans come alive. If you get a chance to try it in a local Tuscan eatery, I highly recommend it, even over the fancy Florentine steaks! Otherwise, I’d say this recipe is pretty darn close, dressed up with with sautéedd garlic and rosemary! (I added a little bit of Noma’s mushroom garum since I had some on hand and will say it enhances the flavor as well, though it’s not needed and you’ll still have one incredible simple dish.)