I love beans, pretty much all kinds of beans I think white beans or navy beans are amoung my favorites. This was not always the case, as a kid my grandmother would make a dish called “pane e fagioli” which simply means bread and beans. This dish was part of the Aceto family peasant food repertoire. The bread used in this dish was always retrieved form the stale bread drawer that I swear was in every Italian household. Whenever my grandmother would bring it to the table I, being the picky pain in the butt eater that I was (still am) would turn up my nose and shut my mouth really tight. My brothers on the other hand well….. my father would tell them that it was cowboy food along with some nonsensical tale of how this is what they would be eating if they were out on the range. Pretty certain we didn’t have a “range” in Schenectady but being the wanna be cow pokes that they were, well they just gobbled it up because if it was good enough for the cowboys out on the range, then it was good enough for those two clowns! I however had no interest in being a cowboy or cowgirl for that matter. These days it is one of my favorite dishes and I can feel my grandmother, the original Filomena smiling down on me every time I make it.
Beans have always been a staple in the Italian diet, part of the peasant food dishes that we all ate growing up. You will see as time goes on that I will post many bean recipes that are easy and so good. Beans of course are also a great source of protein and can be made into a delicious main dish or appetizer in no time.
Last night I needed a quick and easy appetizer to take to a neighbors house who was hosting us for dinner so I made one of my favorites. Sort of my version of “cowboy food” but better!
White Bean Crostini wirh Lemon & Capers
2 15 oz cans navy or cannelini beans drained (you can of course use dried as well)
2-3 cloves garlic smashed
12 cherry tomatos halved
1 generous Tbs of capers ( I tend to over caper things because I love them)
1 Tbs lemon zest ( I also tend to over zest things because I love lemon)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
S & P to taste
Saute garlic in olive oil, add beans and saute for about 10 minutes, add cherry tomatos and Italian seasoning and cook until tomatos are soft. You can also pre blister the tomatos and add them in (I love blistered tomatos) White bean dishes can be very dull looking, the tomatos, capers and zest add more layers of flavor and some color because nobody likes a drab looking bean dish! Add salt, pepper and fold in the capers and the lemon zest. Serve with a rustic bread like sourdough or Italian that has been toasted to a nice crunch.
The medly of these flavors especially the lemon and capers make for a delicious and super easy appetizer, it was a big hit last night!
