Bean dip with radicchio and fried bread
A(nother) delicious way to eat raddichio when it is in season, plus a use for your food mill if you have one! If not, pressing through a sieve or blending will work, but the results won't be nearly as smooth. Serves 4. Adapted from Rachel Roddy in the Guardian.
- 1 medium potato
- 1 celery stick 1 carrot, 1 onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 400 g tin borlotti beans
- 6 tbsp olive oil plus more to fry the bread
- 1 large head radicchio
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 slices bread
- 1 lemon & 2 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Peel and quarter the veg and cover with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt and a bay leaf, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 12-15 min until soft.
Lift veg out of the cooking liquid (but keep it) and pass through a food mill with the beans. Add a little cooking liquid to loosen – to soft but not runny – and add 1 clove garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
Cut radicchio leaves into thick ribbons. Blend olive oil, 1 garlic clove and two tsp lemon juice into a smooth dressing. Toss with the leaves.
In a large frying pan, fry the bread in batches until golden on both sides.
Arrange puree, raddichio, fried bread and lemon wedges on a plate & enjoy while the bread is hot!