Cannellini Crostini

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 1 loaf french baguette, day old, thinly sliced
• 15 ounces cooked cannellini beans, save some cooking liquid (or equivalent amount drained canned beans, liquid reserved)
• 6 roasted garlic cloves, minced (read *note)
• 1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar or 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt, to taste
• 1 -2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, to taste plus additional
• extra virgin olive oil, for toasting and garnish
• spanish paprika
• fresh italian parsley, very finely minced
• red onion ring, thinly sliced (use the smaller inner rings)

Recipe

• 1 *note: a word of advice: using roasted garlic mellowed the flavor. using unroasted garlic will in my opinion overpower the flavor however. do not use jarred roasted garlic.
• 2 in a mixing bowl, combine the beans, garlic, sherry vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. add a little bit of the cooking bean liquid if necessary to help in blending. be careful not to add too much liquid though!
• 3 mash the bean mixture with a fork until very smooth. if you think it is necessary to add again a very small amount of the bean cooking liquid to help in mashing, then do so.
• 4 cover the bean mixture and allow to sit at least 1 hour. i recommend tasting and adjusting seasonings after standing time.
• 5 heat a skillet over medium-high heat. brush each slice of bread with olive oil on both sides, and toast in the skillet until it is lightly browned on both sides; approximately 2 minutes per side. (alternatively, you can broil the baguette slices, but you need to be [[really]] careful not to burn the bread!).
• 6 top each slice with some of the bean mixture.
• 7 arrange the crostini slices on a pretty platter. add a sprinkle of paprika over the slices, very lightly drizzle a small amount of olive oil on top of the toasted slices, garnish artfully with the fresh parsley and a smattering of red onion rings.
• 8 serve immediately.
• 9 prep and cooking times are estimated.