Author Notes
This is a garden inspired take on traditional bean dip for chips. I had never tasted or seen fresh limas until they became the star of my garden. I have been shelling and freezing my beans as they mature and aside from a soup at Thanksgiving have not experimented with them. I thought making a lima bean dip would be a perfect use for them. The color of the dip in the photo reflects the fact that my limas are red. If you use frozen baby limas, you will have a lovely green dip. Lima beans have a distinctive flavor; I found that allowing this dip to sit overnight mellowed its flavor and allowed the beans to mingle with the herbs, and recommend making this one day before serving. NOTE: When adding salt to taste, I purposefully under salted my dip to take into account the crispy salty chips I had to enjoy with it. —gingerroot
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Ingredients
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2 cups
fresh (shelled) lima beans (I have red limas in my yard, so used red) or frozen baby limas
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1/2 cup
cooking water, reserved
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2 tablespoons
olive oil, plus more if needed
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1 teaspoon
whole cumin, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant
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Sea salt to taste
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Cayenne to taste
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++++++++++++++++++++++
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For herb coulis:
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1 cup
cilantro leaves
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1/4
cup mint leaves
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2 tablespoons
chopped chives
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Squeeze of lemon juice from 1 juicy Meyer lemon wedge
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1/4 cup
cup olive oil
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Sea salt to taste
Directions
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Place beans and enough water to cover them in a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and continue to cook until beans are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
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Drain beans, reserving ½ cup of cooking water.
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Place cooked beans and water in a food processor and pulse to mash beans. You can also use a blender (which I did), although I would recommend working in batches as it took some work to get my blender going.
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Add toasted cumin and olive oil and pulse to mix. Taste mixture. Add salt and cayenne to taste (I started with ½ t salt and ¼ t of cayenne), pulse, and taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Transfer mixture to a bowl and set aside. (If you used a blender, transfer beans to a bowl and wash blender to make herb coulis).
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Make herb coulis by placing cilantro, mint and chives in a blender. Add lemon juice. Drizzle in oil while machine is on, using a spatula to scrape down mixture when machine is off. Add salt to taste. Transfer herb mixture to a small container with a lid (you will have more than you need and can refrigerate after using).
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Thoroughly fold 2 tablespoons of herb coulis into bean mixture to combine. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight.
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When ready to serve, taste bean dip and add more coulis if desired. I probably added another tablespoon of it before serving. Serve with chips. Enjoy!
My most vivid childhood memories have to do with family and food. As a kid, I had the good fortune of having a mom who always encouraged trying new things, and two grandmothers who invited me into their kitchens at a young age. I enjoy cooking for the joy it brings me - sharing food with loved ones - and as a stress release. I turn to it equally during good times and bad. Now that I have two young children, I try to be conscientious about what we cook and eat. Right about the time I joined food52, I planted my first raised bed garden and joined a CSA; between the two I try to cook as sustainably and organically as I can. Although I'm usually cooking alone, my children are my favorite kitchen companions and I love cooking with them. I hope when they are grown they will look back fondly at our time spent in the kitchen, as they teach their loved ones about food-love.
Best of all, after years on the mainland for college and graduate school, I get to eat and cook and raise my children in my hometown of Honolulu, HI. When I'm not cooking, I am helping others grow their own organic food or teaching schoolchildren about art.
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