(Really) Simple Food: Cannellini Bean Dip

I like making foods that are hard not to love. 

That's really what I aim for when I make food at home.  I want delicious, totally lovable food that elicits a (positive) verbal reaction.  If, in addition to being delicious, a food is both nutritious and cheap, then it stands a pretty good chance of meeting my definition of "totally lovable".

Beans, whether the canned or dry variety, have always been a favorite of mine.  My reverence for beans may rival Martha Stewart's love of eggs.*  I love beans for their versatility (universality, even) and humility.  They can fit any mood and most any meal.  They are remarkably nutritious and conveniently take the place of animal protein in a balanced diet.

It's no surprise, then, that beans star in one of my favorite, extremely easy go-to recipes, smashed cannellini bean dip.  Lately, I've been making a batch on Sunday in preparation for the week ahead.  I'll slather it on Wasa crackers for breakfast, or pack it in a plastic container with salad greens for a workday lunch.  It also makes a perfect, substantial-enough snack with pretzels or carrots. 

The ingredients and process are all so simple that I feel a little silly writing this out, but....

Yield: 2 cups
Time: 5 to 10 minutes

You'll only need four ingredients to make the dip:

Cannellini beans, 2 cans, drained (If you prefer, use two cups of cooked dry beans.)
Olive oil**, 2 tablespoons
Salt, 2 teaspoons
Red pepper flakes, a generous pinch (May be omitted, but why would you do that? :)

You'll also need something to transform the whole beans into a dip.  Lots of options would work just fine:

Molcajete or mortar and pestle
Food processor
Immersion blender and bowl
Bowl and fork, spoon, wooden spoon, potato masher, or other implement to smash with

Now, here's what I do.***  I rinse my canned beans thoroughly before putting them into the bowl/molcajete/food processor.  I tend to use a mortar and pestle, and I smash the beans in batches, before putting them into a smallish mixing bowl.  I smash until the beans are about seventy percent smoothish paste, and about thirty percent still-relatively-whole bean.  (If you want your finished product to be completely lump-free, then using a food processor or immersion blender is your best bet.)  I transfer the smashed beans into my mixing bowl and then add the seasonings, which are all to taste, though I've estimated quantities above.  I'm quite generous with the olive oil and salt, since they both highlight the buttery and savory qualities of the beans.  Apparently, cold recipes also need to be seasoned more than hot recipes, and generosity here, as in most instances, yields karmic benefits.  The pepper flakes add a nice edge to richness of the salt and fat.  They make the stuff harder not to love.

*Martha has said that eggs are her favorite food.  I don't think that I am making this up, but a quick Google search didn't turn up any proof of a statement, aside from tons of Martha's egg recipes.

**People always recommend using "good" olive oil.  Do not confuse "good" olive oil with over-priced olive oil.  For most recipes that call for olive oil, including this one, I prefer using a dark-colored, fruity extra virgin olive oil.  The darker oil contributes complex, fragrant flavor that lighter oils lack.  This difference is especially notable in cold recipes, or when the oil is added at the end of a hot recipe preparation.

***You could make major changes in your own recipe, and it would still turn out great.