Recipe: Crostini con Cannellini Rustici (White Bean Spread)
This is a dish I created for the “Mediterranean Summer” class I taught at The Culinaria Food & Arts Studio in Ocala, Florida. This menu was designed to travel well so that one can bring these dishes to a picnic, summer BBQ or family gathering. I have always loved crostini with white beans and I wanted to create one that would stand strong in terms of taste by adding fried rosemary and prosciutto. I hope you enjoy it and bring it to your next picnic!
INGREDIENTS:
1 can cannellini beans
¼ lb of ground prosciutto
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
drizzle of truffle oil
1 ½ tsp rosemary
salt & pepper to taste
1 baguette
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice baguette on a diagonal at about ¼ inch slices. Lay pieces of baguette on a cookie sheet and with a pastry brush, brush them lightly with olive oil. Toast in oven for about 10 minutes or until the bread has become golden brown. This is best to do the night before, so the bread will retain its crunch. If you do them the night before, do not cover them; leave them out to air dry.
Open your can of beans, rinse, drain, and place in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add about 1 TBS of olive oil and then add the ground prosciutto. You can ask the deli counter at your grocer to grind the prosciutto for you. If they can’t, then just rough chop your prosciutto when you get home. Add the prosciutto to the skillet and sauté until it caramelizes and becomes a nice golden brown. Remove from skillet and place on a plate to cool.
Add another TBS of olive oil to the skillet. Tilt your pan so that all the olive oil pools on one side. Drop the garlic clove and the rosemary into the oil. Once the garlic is browned and the rosemary stops crackling immediately pour the contents of the skillet onto the beans. Drizzle a bit of truffle oil onto the beans (remember a little goes a long way – you can always add more, but you cannot take it away!).
Using a fork mash the bean mixture roughly- you still want to have some chunkiness to it. Then fold in the prosciutto bits. Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Place bean mixture in a bowl and serve with crostini. This is great as an appetizer. Or can be used as a main meal served with a salad and a glass of wine! Perfect for summer picnics, BBQs and cocktail parties! Buon Appetito!
Patricia Scarpin - August 15, 2007 at 10:16 am
Can I have some, please, Jenn? 😉
Deborah - August 15, 2007 at 10:25 am
This looks so tasty! I want some!
Figs Olives Wine - August 15, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Looks good – you know I love the touch of truffle oil!
marye - August 15, 2007 at 1:03 pm
mmm….now I think I know what I am serving for snacks at Home Group tonight. 🙂
Katiez - August 15, 2007 at 3:25 pm
I love that flavor combination… and that you’re using ‘Spanish’ beans!
Deb - August 15, 2007 at 3:48 pm
Hey Hi Jenn – I have been meaning to stop over to your site as I see your comments on many of the same blogs that I visit. Nice bean spread especially adding the prosciutto (not sure if I spelled that correctly)! I grow lots of rosemary and am always adding that herb to whatever will accept it!
Wendy - August 15, 2007 at 5:02 pm
Hmmmm, I tried out a white bean spread recently and it was pretty vile! Didn’t expect ever to try it again but your recipe has me intrigued. Especially the ground prosciutto.
Cynthia - August 15, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I am bookmarking this to try. Thanks.
Kevin - August 15, 2007 at 7:02 pm
This sounds really good! I have never seen ground prosciutto before. I would think that you could probably just pulse some prosciutto in a food processor.
almost vegetarian - August 15, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Oh, that just looks wonderful. I’m trying to get away from meat, so I’d skip the prosciutto. But I’d up the garlic to help compensate and enjoy every last bit of it.
Cheers!
The Leftover Queen - August 15, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Hi Everyone!
Patricia! I wish I could send you some, but it takes so little time to whip up a batch you should go for it!
Hi Deborah! I love white bean dips and for me, this has the best flavor!
Hey Amanda! Of course! The truffle oil with the rosemary really lends the dish a nice earthiness.
Hey Marye! Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi Katie! 🙂 – Goya, oh boya!
Hey Deb, thanks for stopping by!
The saltiness of the prosciutto is a great addition to this spread!
Hi Wendy! Well I do hope you try this version. White beans are a little bland, so if the dip you tried was not very flavorful, it might not be the tastiest!
Hi Cynthia! Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi Kevin! Well they don’t sell it ground, but you can have your butcher cut it for you this way, or you can grind it in the food processor as you mentioned.
Hi almost veg! Thanks for stopping by. Yes, I am sure this dish would taste fine without the prosciutto – but maybe I would add something that has some saltiness to it to give it that nice kick – perhaps olives, capers or anchovies.
Andy - August 15, 2007 at 11:53 pm
mmm sounds really good. Another idea for leaving out the prosciutto might be to add a some feta cheese.
Terry B - August 16, 2007 at 12:52 am
You had me at “cannellini.” I’m always looking for ways to use these wonderful beans. Then you added in rosemary and garlic? This one’s a definite keeper.
The Leftover Queen - August 16, 2007 at 9:33 am
Hi Andy! Yes, feta cheese would be a great idea. I am a big fan of feta! The nice thing about the prosciutto, beyond the saltiness, is the little bit of crunch it gives to the dish. Thanks for the great suggestion!
Hi Terry! I am so glad you like this recipe! Please let me know how it turns out for you!
Dharm - August 17, 2007 at 4:59 am
That looks almost too good – especially the proscuito!
You’ve been tagged by me at my blog… pls visit to see the rules…!
http://dad-baker.blogspot.com/2007/08/tagged-again.html
Erin - August 17, 2007 at 1:55 pm
Wow! This sounds delicious for a yummy summer (or anytime of year) appetizer! I bet the prosciutto/rosemary combination of flavors is delicious. Thanks again for the blogroll!
lia - August 19, 2007 at 2:44 am
sound good for me, could u share? :p