Lemony White Bean Dip

From Carolyn Sizemore

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 18 min | Prep: 10 min | Cook: 8 min | Calories: 199kcal

**Vegan**

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup (54g) pine nuts

• 1 (15-ounce) can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 medium lemon

• 1 Tablespoon white miso paste

• ¾ to 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 2 to 3 Tablespoons ice water

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (try to slice as evenly as possible for even cooking)*

• 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

• 1 heaping teaspoon Aleppo pepper, or ½ to ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes**

• 1 small handful of parsley (optional), chopped

Instructions

1. Toast the pine nuts***. Heat a medium frying pan over medium heat. Allow the pan to heat up for a few minutes to get hot. Add the pine nuts and shake the pan frequently until toasty and golden but not dark brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Scoop out 1 teaspoon of the nuts and set aside for the topping.

2. Using a vegetable peeler, shave off 4 to 6 strips of lemon peel, about 2 inches in length. If you only get shorter strips, just use more. Try to not peel too deeply to avoid the white pith; set aside.

   Juice the lemon.

3. In a food processor bowl, add the toasted pine nuts, cannellini beans, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon miso paste, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Blend until the dip comes together and is relatively smooth, scraping down sides as you go.

   Stream in 2 tablespoons of ice water and blend again until creamy but spoonable; add one more tablespoon if you want a looser consistency.

   Taste, adding more lemon juice or salt as needed (I usually add an extra ¼ teaspoon kosher salt).

4. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl and make ridges with the back of a spoon.

5. Make the topping. Lightly crush the cumin and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle, or use the back of a heavy chef’s knife or sturdy mug to lightly crush them. Fit a small or medium bowl with a fine-mesh sieve.

6. Heat the olive oil in the same frying pan used in step 1 over medium heat. Once the oil is warm (but not too hot), add the garlic and crushed spices. Cook, swirling the pan or stirring frequently, for 2 to 2 ½ minutes, until the garlic just turns golden (don't wait until it browns). Add the lemon peel and chili flakes and cook for another 30 seconds. Pour the oil and aromatics over the sieve, so that the aromatics sit in the sieve and the oil sits in the bowl.

7. Pour the infused oil over the dip. Top with the garlic-lemon topping, along with the reserved pine nuts and chopped parsley.

   **Tip

   *If you have a mandoline and a cut-proof glove, you can use that to slice the garlic evenly. I have this handheld mandoline and safety glove and they work great. 

   **If using red pepper flakes, use 1/2 teaspoon for a subtle background heat; a bit more for a noticeable spiciness. 

   ***You can also toast the pine nuts in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC and spread the pine nuts out on a sheet pan. Roast for 6-7 minutes until golden brown. 

   Original recipe from Nisha Vora, rainbowplantlife.com