Like most bean dishes this puree is best if you use freshly cooked dried beans, but it is still good with canned beans. One-quarter pound of dried beans will yield about one cup, the amount needed for this recipe, although you can double the quantities if you like. If you use dried beans, cook them in unsalted water to cover (presoaking is unnecessary), with a couple of bay leaves, until very tender. If you use canned beans, you’ll need almost a full fifteen-ounce can to get one cup (there’s a lot of water in those cans).

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 cups cooked cannellini or other white beans, drained but quite moist

　　2 garlic cloves, peeled

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

　　Grated zest of 1 lemon

　　

Step 1

Put the beans in a food processor with the garlic and a healthy pinch of salt. Turn the machine on and add half the olive oil in a steady stream through the feed tube; process until the mixture is smooth.

　　

Step 2

Put the mixture in a bowl and use a wooden spoon to beat in the rosemary, lemon zest, and remaining olive oil. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.