Layered White Beans Tuna And Vegetable Dip Food

LAYERED WHITE BEANS, TUNA, AND VEGETABLE DIP

Steps:

• In a sieve set over a bowl and lined with a triple thickness of rinsed and squeezed cheesecloth let the yogurt drain for 1 hour. Put the cucumber in another sieve, sprinkle it with the salt, and let it drain for 1 hour. Pat the cucumber dry between paper towels and transfer it to a bowl. Stir in the yogurt, the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste and combine the mixture well.
• In a saucepan combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches, simmer them, covered, for 1 hour, or until they are tender, and drain them well, reserving the cooking liquid. In a skillet cook the onion, the garlic, the orégano, and salt and pepper to taste in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the wine and simmer the mixture until the wine is reduced by half. In a food processor purée the beans and the onion mixture with 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid and salt and pepper to taste, transfer the mixture to a bowl, and chill it, covered, until it is cool.
• In a small bowl toss together the tuna, the onion, the olives, the parsley, the vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Spread the bean purée over the bottom of a 10-inch round shallow serving dish, top it with the tuna mixture, and spoon the cucumber mixture over the top. Chill the dip, covered, for at least 3 hours or overnight, sprinkle the top with the tomatoes, the bell pepper, the onion, and the olives, and serve the dip with the pita triangles.
• In a colander rinse the beans under cold water and discard any discolored ones. In a kettle combine the beans with enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches, bring the water to a boil, and boil the beans for 2 minutes. Remove the kettle from the heat and let the beans soak, covered, for 1 hour.

HERBED WHITE-BEAN AND TUNA DIP

Steps:

• Puree garlic cloves in a food processor.
• Add all other ingredients except the oil and process until combined.
• Add the oil and process until smooth, for a few more seconds.

ONE-PAN TUNA-WHITE BEAN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In an ovenproof skillet, sauté a chopped onion (or shallots, scallions or leeks) in olive oil over medium-high heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add red-pepper flakes, salt and garlic cloves. Throw in the rosemary sprig, if using. Add anchovy fillets, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the garlic is slightly golden and very fragrant.
• Add the white beans and the wine. Let it simmer until the liquid evaporates and the beans are soft, about 5 minutes, then mash the beans with a potato masher or a fork. Make them as smooth or lumpy as you like. You just want to release some of their starch. Turn off the heat.
• Now, add the milk and the tuna. If you have the oil-packed kind, add the oil. If you have the water-packed kind, drain them, and drizzle in more olive oil.
• Mash the tuna into the beans, leaving it a little chunky. Mix in the herbs, lemon zest and add lots of black pepper. Finally, mix in 2 to 4 tablespoons of any kind of grated cheese. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
• Spread the mixture evenly in the skillet, and top it with potato chips. Scatter on more grated cheese, about another 2 tablespoons, and dot the top with little nuggets of butter.
• Bake until the tuna mixture bubbles around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. If you want the potato chips to get more brown, you could run the whole pan under the broiler. Finish with lemon juice.