In the winter, one of my favorite dishes to make involves cannellinibeans fried in a bit of butter with salt and pepper.  It's about as basic as you can get, but I love the unadulterated flavors of this creamy bean.  As we prepare for our move, I've continued to try to find ways to use up some of the items on our kitchen shelves. At some point during our long Chicago winter, I apparently stocked up on cans of cannellini beans, so I decided to find a summery way to use them. While a bit more involved than my winter menu, this meal is still simple and quick to prepare.

White Bean Dip

Ingredients

1 can (15 oz) of cannellini beans, rinsed
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ C olive oil
2 Tbl pesto
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add a bit more oil or some water if the dip is too thick.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with fresh vegetables and oven-baked pita chips (see recipe below).

Oven-Baked Pita Chips

Makes 48 chips
Preheat oven to 400F

Ingredients

3 store-bought pocket pitas (wheat or white)
2 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl grated Parmesan
1 Tbl Herbes de Provence (or other dried herbs)
Kosher flake salt
Pepper

Method

Cut the pitas into 8 wedges.  Separate each wedge at the seam into two pieces. Place in one layer on a large sheet pan.  Brush or drizzle with olive oil (don't worry about covering the surfaces, this is mainly for flavor) and sprinkle with the Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

Bake chips for about five minutes and then sprinkle on the Parmesan.  Bake for about five more minutes, or until crisp and golden.