Mediterranean White Bean and Artichoke Dip

I cooked dried Great Nothern Beans a few days ago. This is an entirely new dish made with the leftovers. We'll talk about the original recipe first.

1 lb. dried Great Northern Beans

Water to cover

2 - 3 T. bacon drippings

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste 

1 t. dried parsley

Dried beans cook best after soaking. There are two ways to soak:  overnight or a quick soak.  I used the quick soak method which is as follows:  Sort and rinse beans. Place beans in a large saucepan with 6 - 8 cups of water. Bring to a rapid boil on medium-high heat. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour. Drain and rinse beans and discard soak water.

After soaking, place beans in a large Dutch oven and cover with 6 - 8 cups water. Cover and bring just to boiling on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, with lid slightly askew, for 1 1/2 hours, occasionally stirring until desired tenderness. Add bacon drippings, salt, and pepper about halfway through the cooking time. You can also add a ham hock to the beans for the seasoning.

Now on to our featured recipe.  You'll need about 2 cups of leftover beans OR you can use 16 oz. of canned beans, rinsed and drained.

2 cups Great Northern Beans

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 t. dried Italian Seasoning

1 small jar diced pimentos

1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped

1 t. minced fresh garlic

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, stirring gently, until well combined. Chill at least two hours to allow flavors to blend. Serve with sliced toasted French bread.