Cannellini Dip with Lemon and Thyme
Like any born-and-bred Chicago girl, I think I handle winters pretty well. I expect cold, and I’m rarely disappointed. I even try to revel in the beautiful snowy landscapes and the wind whipping across the prairie behind our house. Overall, I think I keep a pretty good attitude about it.
Until March, that is. Despite pretty much all my past experiences of Chicago winters, I stubbornly continue to believe that winter will be over as soon as March 1st rolls around. March= spring! Yay! Well, you can imagine the disappointment this sort of delusional thinking tends to breed in a person’s mind. The current forecast for tomorrow, March 1st, currently stands at 23 degrees Fahrenheit. Oh, with the possibility of 3-5 inches of snow, as well. I don’t think the tulips will be popping up quite yet. At least not until the layer of snow and ice a foot thick melts. Sigh. Heavy sigh.
I’ve been so accepting and peaceful this whole winter. This whole long, cold, freakishly frigid winter. I’ve truly tried to embrace it, snuggling up in front of toasty fires and eating an obscene amount of soup and stew and more carbs than you can shake a stick at. But now I’m done. Now I’m ready to put on a tank top and eat skinny little bits of vegetables and crispy toasted rounds of baguette, dunked in cool, creamy dip. I just want dip, guys.
So you know what? I made dip. Turns out there isn’t a prohibition against eating warm weather foods while the temps are still below freezing. I’m a real rebel. It’s the culinary equivalent of wearing white after Labor Day. Watch out, world. I’m on the loose.
And I’m so glad that I tried this dip now, while it’s still cold, because I can see it becoming my go-to for this summer and beyond. It’s so simple and light, bright and fresh, that I see no end to what I could pair it with. Cannellini beans are perfect for blending into dip because they are incredibly creamy and have a great delicate flavor that’s not too intense. It pairs wonderfully with the lemon and bits of thyme, letting them do their thing as one of the most perfect culinary duos of all time. There’s just a teeny bit of garlic, enough so you get a hint, but not so much that you would scare away a date. And since this dip is almost entirely heart healthy beans and olive oil, it’s a much healthier alternative to dips heavy with cream cheese or sour cream. I think it would also make a fantastic spread for a sandwich, along with some thin slices of cucumber. You could spoon some on top of crostini, too, and pop those in the oven, and I bet it would be to-die-for (and probably more suited to sub-freezing temps, if that’s what you’re going for).
As for me, I particularly enjoy it sitting in a tank top in my living room, soaking up the sun through the window, with the heat cranked up, dreaming of a warmer April.
Cannellini Dip with Lemon and Thyme
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- juice of one lemon
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- several grinds of black pepper
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the beans, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Process for about 30 seconds, or until the dip is as smooth as you'd like it to be. Then add the thyme and pepper, and pulse a few more times.
- Serve right away, drizzled with a bit more olive oil, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.