It’s all about the butter bean puree. You can serve it with whatever you like. Think about a mix between hummus & mashed potato and you’re almost there. It is comfort food heaven for me. The beans are pureed with roasted garlic, lemon juice, olive oil & rosemary and served hot, like a beany, garlicky mash. They are the perfect accompaniment to any Italian, Spanish, Greek or Middle Eastern dish. Or just eat it on its own from the bowl with a big spoon”¦.
Butter Bean Puree with Stuffed Roasted Peppers
serves 2 vegetarian
* 1 jar/can butter beans, rinsed well (about 400 gr)
* 3 or 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
* a small sprig fresh rosemary, chopped, (about 1/2 tsp)
* the juice of 1/2 a lemon, maybe more
* about 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* salt & black pepper
* 2 large red peppers
* some leftover risotto/couscous/quinoa whatever you have
* about 50 gr crumbled feta
* 1/2 tsp dried oregano
* some breadcrumbs
* olive oil & rosemary to garnish
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Slice the tops off of the peppers, cut out the seeds and pull out any white membrane. Stuff the peppers with the risotto (or whatever you are using), top with the crumbled feta and sprinkle with oregano. Put the peppers in a foil-lined baking tin with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the feta and drizzle the tops & garlic with olive oil. Bake the peppers in the preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes but take the garlic cloves out after 15 minutes. Put the rinsed beans, lemon juice and rosemary in a bowl then squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins into the bowl as well. Drizzle with 1 or 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and blend with a stick blender or in a food processor. Drizzle in the rest of the oil while blending until you have reached a kind of sticky mashed potato consistency. Season well with salt & black pepper, taste and add more lemon juice if you want. Add more olive oil if you want it more liquidy. Heat the bean puree in a pan and serve drizzled with olive oil & a sprig of rosemary garnish.Or serve alongside the stuffed roasted peppers”¦
This Butter Bean Puree is quicker, easier and, dare I say it, more delicious than mashed potato. A really great side dish to do when entertaining, or just for yourself, you may not want to share it”¦!
