Roasted Fennel And White Bean Dip With Crostini

Ingredients for roasted fennel:
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
salt and freshly ground pepper

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Ingredients for the cannellini bean puree:
3/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1 T lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated

crostini

Preparing the roasted fennel:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the fennel and garlic cloves in the olive oil and spread on a sheet pan. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes, turning twice during cooking. Take out and let cool. When cool squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skins.

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Preparing the cannellini bean puree:

In a small frying pan heat 1/2 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook until lightly golden, add rosemary and cannellini beans and cook for one minute more. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Take it off the heat.

In a food processor combine the garlic bean mixture, fennel, roasted garlic, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 olive oil and all but 3 tablespoons of the parmigiano-reggiano. Puree until smooth.

Raise oven temp to 450 degrees F. Transfer puree into a small baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese, or more to taste. If dish is nearly full, place it on a baking sheet, in case it bubbles over in the oven. Bake until cheese is golden on top, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with crostini.

Serves 12