White Bean Dip with Rosemary and Sage

Racing is a curious thing.  To the observer it makes no sense at all—people spend loads of money to travel to a location, sleep on floors (or wherever), rise early after not sleeping well, venture out into often uncomfortable conditions, stress and adrenaline courses through their veins, then they push themselves beyond their limits until weary, cramping, frostbit or nauseous….this has never has looked very fun to me.

But there is something about pushing, something about stretching beyond what you thought you could, something about a challenge that prompts a person to sign up for things that acts as a catalyst for (hopefully) healthy practices.

I signed up for my first ski race a few weeks ago, the short version (12.5 K) of a Classic-only race.  After dropping the registration into the mail the motivation to prepare myself began to grow…along with my doubts.  I did a few days of skiing farther than I ever had before without stopping…stretching my boundaries…but all the while holding in reserve the right to bail if I wasn’t up for it.  I had my Woosie-Get-Out-Of-Race-Free card in case I panicked.

But race day came, -2 and sunny, and I felt good.  It helps if you don’t care too much—I wanted to have fun, and fun I had.  Mostly I was alone out there on the course, a newbie at the back of the pack, but the muscle-burn was good and I can now understand a glimmer of the race-bug and the camaraderie that goes along with mutual suffering.

The amazing end of the tale is that I collected some hardware along the way—I won my age group and they gave me a cup!  Another little boost for the racing newbie, sinking that hook in deep.  (Don’t tell anyone in case my reputation be tarnished, but there were only two people in my age group…you take whatever little victories you can get.) 

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This white bean dip is great for parties or for sandwiches.

I don’t have much access to measuring devices up here, so you’re going to have to use this recipe as a guideline. I could wait and make this again with more exact measurements, but I think you can handle it.  Just keep tasting as you go!  Fly solo.  Fly on instruments.  Use that light-saber with the eye shield up.

White Bean Dip with Sage and Rosemary

Puree or mash well together: 

3 cups Cannelini or Navy Beans, cooked and drained

1 heaping Tablespoons Rosemary, fresh minced

1 heaping Tablespoons Sage, fresh, minced (I used Rosemary Sage pesto made in the fall)

Sea Salt

1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

1/3 cup Olive Oil  (optional winter oil: bacon fat)

Optional: Stir in cooked bacon, chopped

Great on a toasted crostini that’s been slathered with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.