Tuscan Bean Dip

These elegant beans are known as fagioli in fiasco, or beans in a bottle. Traditionally made in Tuscany in a Chianti bottle cooked in embers in a brick oven, this modern version is creamy and delicious.
Yield	6-8 servings
Time	2½ hours (in the oven)
Tools	2 Q casserole aluminum foil knife wooden spoon
Ingredients	2 c dry white beans (cannellini, Great Northern, or navy), soaked and drained 2-3 c hot water 2 T olive oil 3-4 sage leaves or 1 T dried Italian herbs 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped salt pepper lemon wedges (optional) additional olive oil (optional)
Directions	Preheat oven to 325. Place beans in casserole and add water to barely cover, along with oil, sage, and garlic. Cover tightly with foil and poke a few holes in it. Bake for 2-2½ hours until tender and creamy. Gently stir in salt and pepper and transfer to large bowl, garnished with lemon and olive oil.
Notes	If you mash some or all of the beans, you’ll have a wonderful dip for bread sticks, crackers, and toasted French bread. Or you can keep the beans whole, as I did, and serve them as a side dish. Adapted from the recipe for "Beans in a Bottle, Tuscan Style" in Donna Klein’s The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen (read my review). Buy it: Amazon.com \| Amazon.co.uk
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