White Bean Puree

Another recipe I have to share--this is SO good, drizzled with a little olive oil, spread on a crusty baguette, and some red wine to accompany it of course! When I picked the kids after making this, they said the van smelled like garlic bread--I guess I absorbed some of the odors.

The recipe suggests eating these instead of mashed potatoes.

1 1/2 C dry Great Northern or other white bean (or 3 C cooked--I often use canned to speed it up)
1 onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
4 cloves smashed garlic
1/3C heavy cream
1 bay leaf

If using dry beans, 5-6 C chicken broth
Soak beans overnight. Drain, transfer to pot with 5C chicken broth, 3 garlic cloves, onion, celery, bay leaf and carrot. Bring to boil, turn down to simmer for 90 minutes. Add remaining broth if needed--if it gets dry. Drain beans and discard bay leaf.

If using canned beans, rinse and drain. Put 3-4T olive oil in pan, saute 3 of the garlic cloves, bay leaf and remaining veggies until very soft.

For either method, add beans to pan with cream and remaining clove garlic and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until almost dry.

Put bean mixture in food processor and puree, adding olive oil as needed (probably won't be needed with canned bean method due to olive oil in pan).