Woodsy, earthy truffle oil is the perfect complement to nutty and mild cannellini beans in this elegant, easy and impressive Cannellini Bean Dip with Truffle Oil.
Years ago, my first trip to Italy took me to Rome and Umbria, together with my childhood best friend (and travel agent extraordinaire) Katey Hartwell. It just so happened that we were there in November, during the height of white truffle season. I had never tasted truffles before, and immediately fell in love. In fact, I think I ate them at every meal – on scrambled eggs at breakfast, on pasta at lunch, drizzled atop cannellini beans at dinner. It’s hard to describe the taste of a truffle – it’s like a pungent, earthy, woodsy mushroom. It has a sensual, sort of muskiness to it.
To this day, I still love truffles (I even have an Italian truffle-hunting dog, a Lagotto Romagnolo!). White – and black – truffles are very expensive, so I get my fix via truffle flavor infused olive oils. My current favorite brand is Sabatino Tartufi White Truffle Infused Oil, that I found in the gourmet department at the fab Denver store, Homefest. In fact, they have lots of truffle products – including truffle zest, truffle spread, even truffle mayonnaise (watch for new recipes using these delicacies soon!).
After returning home from Italy, a favorite food memory was the combination of truffle and cannellini beans. The flavors go together so perfectly! After some experimenting, I eventually created two recipes with similar ingredients – my Cannellini Bean Bruschetta, and also this scrumptious, super quick and easy Cannellini Bean Dip with Truffle Oil. Only five ingredients! So easy, so elegant, so delicious.
Here’s a tip from A Well-Seasoned Kitchen fan – Cherie reported that she was short on fresh parsley, so she added some chopped fresh chives to this dip, and that it was super delicious! I tried it myself, and I agree.
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Cannellini Bean Dip with Truffle Oil
Woodsy, earthy truffle oil is the perfect complement to nutty and mild cannellini beans in this elegant, easy and impressive Cannellini Bean Dip with Truffle Oil.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 cans (15 ounce) cannellini (or Great Northern) beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup lemon-flavored olive oil (see Note)
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves, stems removed
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons white truffle oil (see Note)
pita chips, for serving
Instructions
- Blend drained and rinsed beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and parsley in a food processor until well blended but still slightly chunky.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Just before serving, slowly swirl in truffle oil (don’t completely mix in). Delicious served with pita chips.
Notes
Gluten free: Serve with gluten-free chips or crackers – I recommend Milton’s Gluten Free Crispy Sea Salt Baked Crackers.
Note on lemon-flavored olive oil: If you don’t have lemon-flavored olive oil, substitute regular olive oil and increase the amount of lemon juice to taste.
Note on truffle oil: I recommend Sabatino Tartufi White Truffle Infused Oil, available at Homefest. It is well-balanced, with just the right amount of truffle flavor, and has a yellow color to it that works well in this recipe.
Make ahead: The bean dip can be made, without adding the truffle oil, earlier in the day, covered and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and swirl in truffle oil.
Tips on using truffle oil: Think of truffle oil as a finishing sauce – that is, always add it at the end of a recipe, especially when using with cooked foods. Heating truffle oil at higher temperatures and/or for longer periods of time will significantly reduce the truffle flavor. Truffle flavor in infused oils is usually strong, so use sparingly (drizzle, don’t pour). Store in the refrigerator to maximize its shelf life.
- Category: appetizers, quick and easy, gluten free
