Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico!

　　If you like hummus—and most people do—you will love this bean puree, which could be called an Italian version of the classic bean spread. For my mother, ceci beans (chickpeas) were a household staple, so they are for me, too. I keep cans in my pantry at all times because they are so versatile. You could cook your own instead of relying on canned, but for this puree I find the canned beans are just fine. And so much easier. Don't scrimp on the olive oil—you want the puree to be juicy and rich. The squeeze of lemon juice at the end will make you sing "hallelujah!"

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

　　2 garlic cloves

　　1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

　　One 16-ounce can ceci beans (also called chickpeas and garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

　　1/2 cup tahini

　　1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

　　1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling

　　2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

　　1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

　　1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes (use more or less to taste)

　　1 1/2 teaspoons honey

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　8 slices Rick's Basic Bruschetta

　　1 tablespoon roughly chopped, toasted pine nuts

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　8 lemon wedges

　　

Step 1

1. On a cutting board and using the blade and flat side of a large, sharp knife, mince and mash the garlic and salt to make a paste.

　　

Step 2

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the ceci beans with the garlic paste, tahini, onion, the 1/4 cup of oil, lemon juice, vinegar, red pepper, and honey. Scrape down the sides of the bowl several times and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. The texture of the paste should be that of spreadable peanut butter; if necessary, thin it with water and pulse again.

　　

Step 3

3. Spread the bean paste on the bruschetta. Sprinkle with pine nuts, tarragon, and parsley. Drizzle with olive oil, and serve garnished with lemon wedges for squeezing over the bruschetta.

　　From Fantastico by Rick Tramonto, Mary Goodbody, and Belinda Chang Copyright (c) 2007 by Rick Tramonto. Published by Broadway Books.Rick Tramonto, the executive chef/partner of Tru in Chicago, was named one of Food & Wine's Top Ten Best Chefs in the country in 1994 and selected as one of America's Rising Star Chefs by Robert Mondavi in 1995. He has also been nominated four times for the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Midwest, winning the award in 2002. Tru, which opened its doors in May 1999, was nominated for the 2000 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant and named one of the Top 50 Best Restaurants in the World by Condé Nast Traveler. Tramonto is the coauthor, with his partner Gale Gand, of American Brasserie and Butter Sugar Flour Eggs.Mary Goodbody is a nationally known food writer and editor who has worked on more than forty-five books. Her most recent credits include Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Companion, The Garden Entertaining Cookbook, and Back to the Table. She is the editor of the IACP Food Forum Quarterly, was the first editor in chief of Cooks magazine, and is a senior contributing editor for Chocolatier magazine and Pastry Art & Design magazine.Tim Turner is a nationally acclaimed food and tabletop photographer. He is a two-time James Beard Award winner for Best Food Photography, winning most recently in 2002. His previous projects include Charlie Trotter's Recipes, Charlie Trotter's Meat and Game, The Inn at Little Washington, Norman's New World Cuisine (by Norman Van Aken), Jacques Pepin's Kitchen, and American Brasserie.