Pureed White Beans with Tons of Fresh Herbs

The second new cookbook David bought is "The Food Matters Cookbook" by, you guessed it, Mark Bittman. As I've mentioned before we are Bittman aficionados and I am pretty excited about many of the recipes in this book.  The premise is also one that I believe in, having lived almost a decade without eating meat.  Bittman outlines 5 tenants to healthy eating, the first and foremost being to cut down on eating animal products.  We've been trying to substitute fish or vegetable based meals for meaty ones on weeknights, our recent, and overdue, discovery of grilled eggplant has gone a long way towards helping us accomplish this goal! In terms of cutting down on other animal products (read: cheese) some of us still have a lot of work to do!

Last Wednesday DLG cooked Pureed White Beans with Tons of Fresh Herbs.  He added prosciutto, so it wasn't vegetarian, but it was delicious! (Mom, I know if you are reading this you are cringing at the idea of "pureed prosciutto" but it was worth it!)   David didn't blend it, but did all the chopping by hand so it still had a good texture. He served it with sauteed kale which is, slowly, growing on me. As a disclaimer, don't judge this recipe by the photo below. 

Source: Mark Bittman
Prepared by: David
Serves: (we ate it Thursday too!)

Optional additions: bits of crumbled bacon, sausage, or prosciutto, or a small piece of simply cooked chicken or fish. David used prosciutto.


1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
1 leek, white part and some of the green, trimmed, well rinsed, and chopped; or 1 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped mixed mild herbs, like parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, or chervil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano, tarragon, or thyme
3 cups cooked or canned cannellini, navy, or other white beans, drained, liquid reserved
About 1 cup bean-cooking liquid, stock or water, or more as needed
Salt and black pepper

1. Put the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped herbs and cook a minute or 2 more.
2. If you want the mixture super-smooth, transfer it—along with the beans—to a blender, food processor, or food mill and process, adding as much liquid as you need to make a smooth but not watery puree. If you want a lumpier texture, mash the beans right in the pan with a fork or potato masher, adding liquid slowly to get them as soupy as you like.
3. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; taste and add more if necessary. Heat and serve immediately or keep warm over low heat for up to an hour or so. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil if you like.