White Bean Mash With Garlic Aïoli

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups cannellini beans, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water and 1 tsp baking soda
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 rosemary sprigs
3 thyme sprigs
1 green Chile, halved lengthwise
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 anchovy filets in olive oil, drained and roughly chopped (optional)
6 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh dill. chopped
1/2 tsp Aleppo Chile flakes or other hot pepper flakes

Directions:
Drain the soaked beans and put them into a large saucepan with onion. Add enough water to cover by about 1 1/2 inches. Place on medium-high heat and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat to medium and cook for about 50 minutes, or until the beans are completely soft and starting to break up; you may need to top with more water as you go. Drain well.

While the beans are cooking, put the garlic, rosemary, thyme, green chile, and olive oil into a small saucepan, for which you have a lid. Place on medium-low heat, cover, and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until garlic has been softened and is just beginning to color. Leaving the lid on, remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes; the garlic will continue to cook in the heat of the oil. Strain through a sieve set over a bowl, reserving the oil. Pick out the garlic, herbs, and chile and set aside.

Put the cooked garlic into a food processor along with a mounded 1/2 cup of the cooked beans, the mustard, anchovies, 2 tbsp of the lemon juice, 5 tbsp of the garlic oil, 1 tbsp water, 1/8 tsp salt, and a good grind of pepper. Blitz to mayonnaise- like consistency and set the aïoli aside.

Combine a scant 1 cup of the cooked beans in a small bowl with 4 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp garlic oil, the dill, 1/4 tsp salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Set aside.

Put the remaining cooked beans and onion into the food processor along with the remaining 7 1/2 tsp lemon juice, 3 tbsp garlic oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Blitz to a thick smooth mash, about 1 minute, then transfer to a shallow bowl and spread out to create a shallow well in the center. Fill the well with the aïoli, then top with dressed beans. Finish with chile flakes, reserved green chile, rosemary, and thyme. Serve at once.

Enjoy!