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Bean & Walnut Spread

This nutty bean purée is inspired by lobio, a marinated bean salad from the Georgian Republic.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    yields 3 cups

Ingredients

1 cup toasted walnuts
1 28-ounce can of red kidney beans (or 2 15-ounce cans), rinsed and drained
2 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
5 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In the bowl of a food processor, grind the nuts until they make a smooth paste. Add the beans, garlic, about half of the scallions, the dill, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper and purée until quite smooth.

    Step 2

    Serve at room temperature or chilled, in a bowl or on a bed of greens, topped with the remaining scallions. This purée can be kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It loses a bit of its tang overnight, so add a little more vinegar to taste.

  2. Serving & menu ideas

    Step 3

    Some of us love Bean & Walnut Spread as part of a composed salad: Serve it on a bed of greens with hard-boiled eggs, Beet Salad (page 209), creamy Broccoli Slaw (page 208), and rye bread. And it’s a fine sandwich spread, with lettuce and tomatoes, or dressed up with roasted red peppers, hard-boiled eggs, or pickles. It’s an excellent snack or appetizer with crudités and/or crackers or bread.

Cover of the cookbook Moosewood Simple Suppers with a red floral motif.
From Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: Fresh Ideas for the Weeknight Table. Copyright © 2017 by Moosewood Collective. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC. Buy the full book from ThriftBooks or Amazon.
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