Cannellini Bean Dip with Garlic Scapes

We’re off visiting family in the Adirondacks this week, enjoying a small town Fourth of July celebration, fishing, hiking, playing at the lake, cookouts, and evening campfires with roasted marshmallows, s’mores, and campfire pies. We’ll return in a few days feeling rested, a little sunburned, and ready to resume work in the garden, which hopefully won’t burn up in the current heat wave.

After harvesting our garlic scapes at the end of June, we took them to the kitchen and set to work making pesto, a pasta dish, and bean dip. The scapes were spicy—really spicy—and added a nice punch of garlic flavor to this simple bean dip. After a couple bites Michael grabbed some grape tomatoes and put the halves on top of the dip and it made a great combination. If your scapes are as spicy as ours were, you could even add some fresh flat leaf parsley to the mix to balance the flavor.

If you aren’t growing garlic at home, you may find garlic scapes at your local farmers market. We spotted some at the Central New York Regional Market over the weekend, so keep your eye out for them, but if they are out of season you can substitute a few fresh garlic cloves.

CANNELLINI BEAN DIP WITH GARLIC SCAPES

16 servings.

Equipment

food processor

Ingredients

15 ounces (425 g) cannellini beans, canned, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped
1/2 cup (100 g) grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground

SERVE WITH
whole grain crackers
sliced baguette
grape tomato halves

Preparation

1. Add the beans to the bowl of the food processor and pulse 3 or 4 times. Add the garlic scapes and olive oil and process for about 30 seconds.

2. Add the lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper and process until the dip is thick and creamy. If the dip is a little dry, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and process. Serve with whole grain crackers or sliced baguette.

Variations

You can also use about 5 or 6 fresh garlic cloves instead of garlic scapes.

If your scapes are very spicy, you can reduce the amount or add some flat leaf parsley to balance the flavor.

More Appetizer Recipes

More Bean Dip Recipes From Around the Blogs

The Perfect Pantry – Black Bean Dip

Simply Recipes – Fava Bean Dip with Goat Cheese and Garlic

Food People Want – Chipotle Bean Dip

Farmgirl Fare – White Bean and Artichoke Dip

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