Garlicky Bean & Artichoke Dip

This awesome dip is good with cut up raw veggies, pita chips, crackers, or by the spoonful. I just wish I had known about it when I was in the puree portion of my post-op diet.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon Italian herb blend
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 can (15 oz) white kidney or cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained & quartered
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pinch of cayenne pepper (or to taste)

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion, garlic and herbs until tender. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In a large food processor, combine the beans, artichokes, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, and the reserved onion mixture. Process until smooth.

Refrigerate 2 hours.

Death by Garlic

No new recipes posted this week - I've been busy experimenting in the kitchen - nothing worthwhile to post. But I do have a story to tell.

My husband grows garlic (among other things) and has been wondering how to use the enormous crop he just dug up. He likes to make a recipe for Garlic Cream that we found many years ago in The Microwave Gourmet by Barbara Kafka. You cook garlic (a lot) in heavy cream and chicken broth, season it with salt and pepper, and puree it into this fantastically rich, thick, garlicky cream. It's great for making pasta Alfredo (just add Parmesan cheese), or added to mashed potatoes. It is literally death by garlic.

So this morning Mr. P. decided to make a big batch of garlic cream. I heard him rustling around out in the kitchen and smelled the garlic wafting down the hallway. I heard the blender buzzing and then, "Oh, f**k!"

I thought, "I bet he blew the top off the blender," and went to investigate. Sure enough, he hadn't properly secured the blender top (it's tricky, I'll admit) and there was hot garlic cream EVERYWHERE. Waring sure put a good motor in that blender, because I found bits of garlic and spatters of cream eight feet away. It was on Mr. Parker (head to toe), the kitchen window, the cabinets, the floor, the counter, the wall, the sink (probably the ceiling too, I'd better go check). Georgie (our French bulldog) trotted out to help by licking the floor. Not confident of Mr. P.'s cleaning ability (or patience, at that point), I volunteered to take over the cleanup. He changed his clothes, put the garlicky ones in the washing machine, and announced that he was going to the store for a 6-pack.

Garlicky White Beans

1 medium white potato (8 oz), peeled and cubed
1/4 c. olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 19-oz can white beans, drained
2 tbl chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
salt and pepper, to taste
4 tbl light sour cream

Cook the potato in salted water until tender, about 10 min. Drain.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 12-15 min.

Add the drained potatoes, beans, herbs, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat 5 minutes. Add sour cream, stir and heat through without boiling, about 2 minutes.

4-6 servings

Note: this is good pureed and can be served at room temperature