Recipe: Roasted Garlic-Edamame Spread

This cool hummus-cousin spread is both refreshing at the end of a summer day and packed with flavor.

I could make multiple meals off eating the spread on buttery crostini, and it's not too bad on veggies either. I served it with Fresh Market's prepackaged crostini and red pepper and cucumber slices.

Roasted garlic is its namesake, but I think the basil flavor stands out the most and, along with lemon juice, gives it a super-fresh flavor. Ricotta cheese makes the dip extra creamy, too.

Actually, I am not sure how the dip would hold together without the ricotta. Because edamame has a more coarse texture than other beans, it morphs into tiny grainy pieces in the food processor that are not smooth and creamy.

I don't recommend buying frozen edamame in the shell. I learned that it would have been less time-consuming to make a run to a second grocery store to find the unshelled variety than to tediously pop them from their pods. It was, however, fun for snacking along the way.

It was my first time to experiment with chopping off the top of the garlic bulb and roasting it in olive oil, which makes a kitchen smell delightfully garlicy. Then, once it cools, you squeeze the fragrant paste-like garlic out of each clove. I felt like a kid playing with mushy play dough, only it tasted much better.

Roasted Garlic-Edamame Spread
Southern Living, May 2009

1  garlic bulb

1  tablespoon  olive oil

2  cups  fully cooked, shelled edamame (green soybeans)*

1/2  cup  ricotta cheese

1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil

2  tablespoons  lemon juice

1/4  cup  olive oil

1  teaspoon  kosher salt

1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Cut off pointed end of garlic; place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Fold foil to seal. Bake 30 minutes; let cool 5 minutes. Squeeze pulp from garlic cloves into a bowl.

2. Process edamame in a food processor 30 seconds or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Add roasted garlic, ricotta, basil, and lemon juice; pulse 2 to 3 times or until blended.

3. With processor running, pour 1/4 cup oil through food chute in a slow, steady stream, processing until smooth. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables and/or crostini.

*2 cups uncooked, frozen, shelled edamame (green soybeans) may be substituted. Prepare edamame according to package directions. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain. Proceed with recipe as directed.