Recipe - Cannellini Bean & Caper Crostini

We recently had some guests over that I really wanted to make small bites for because they hadn't had my cooking yet. When one indicated that she was vegetarian, that got me thinking about how I could put out a few appetizers that would all be tasty but still cater to her lifestyle. I had a large jar of capers still in the refrigerator so wanted to hinge a recipe on that but still keep it fulfilling. After all, who wants to eat a bunch of bites but not get full in the least bit? Beans were next on my mind so a little mixing put these two lovelies together on top of some citrus-flecked toast. Voila - a savory but light vegetarian delight (in just five ingredients)!


Step 1: Ingredients (yields 2 cups topping)

• 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained
• 1/2 small red onion, finely minced (approximately 1/4 cup)
• 1 Tbsp capers, drained
• 1 Tbsp Enfuso pear balsamic vinegar (or light balsamic vinegar of choice)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 small loaf French bread, sliced and toasted (drizzled with citrus olive oil, optional)

Step 2: Prepping ingredients
You can easily buy your own crostini if you want to save yourself the hassle of slicing the bread and then halving each slice to be the right size. If you're toasting on your own though, I recommend drizzling the bread with some citrus olive oil first so that its scent can permeate through each bite. For the topping, mix together beans, onion, capers, balsamic, and olive oil thoroughly. Let sit in refrigerator for one hour for flavors to marinate.


Step 3: Finishing
Only after the beans have had some time to join the others in flavor do you finish with salt and pepper, to taste. Check it before you wreck it! Enjoy topping with crostini/toast!


Photography by Duc Duong.