This week I am sharing two recipes from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis. This is a very easy to use and understand cookbook. You can learn a number of basic Italian staples and how to put them together quickly and easily. Granted, it is kind of weird that there are more photos of Giada in the book than there are photos of food, but no one asked me about the layout I suppose. Anyways, I recently dove into this book and the first thing I made was this absolutely delicious recipe for White Bean Dip with Pita Chips. In the cookbook, even Giada admits that pita chips aren’t particularly Italian, but they work really well with the dip. She describes it as an Italian version of hummus, which I can see, but I like this way better than I like hummus. The dip is smooth and creamy, not to mention super easy to put together. In fact, this is a good recipe to have up your sleeve in case of last minute company. It is likely that you might have everything you need to make this dip in your pantry and in your garden. I was also drawn to this recipe because of the pita chips.  I remember when I was a kid my mom went through a phase where she made pita chips like this for my brother and I all the time to snack on. Instead of the oregano and salt and pepper for flavoring, I think she usually used a creole seasoning, or seasoning salt. They were delicious. 
This is a great snack for a dinner party, drinks with friends, or to feed to hungry children after school. It takes very little time and energy, but tastes bright and fresh. The chips are crispy and if you use whole wheat pita, they’re pretty good for you too. In fact, the dip would be great with some fresh carrots and celery as well.

 

White Bean Dip with Pita Chips

From Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

• 4 pita breads, split in half horizontally and cut into wedges
• 2 TB plus 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup loosely packed parsley leaves
• 2 TB fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 1 garlic clove

Preheat oven to 400.

Cup each pita half into 8 wedges. Arrange wedges on a large baking sheet, rough side up. Brush the wedges with the 2 TB olive oil, then sprinkle with oregano and 1 tsp each of the salt and pepper. Bake for 8 minutes, then turn the wedges over and bake until they are crisp and golden, about 8 minutes more. (Mine only took about 5 minutes more.)

Meanwhile, in a blender or bowl of a food processor, combine the beans, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, and the remaining salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is coarsely chopped. With the machine running, gradually mix in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil until the mixture is creamy. Season the puree with more salt and pepper to taste if needed. Transfer the puree to a serving bowl and serve with the pita toasts. The toasts can be warm or room temperature.

The dip and chips can be made ahead of time. Store the chips in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Photographs by Jessica Yager