Cauliflower, White Bean and Feta Salad
Difficulty Level Easy
My daughter, who goes to university out of town, made a request that I post some recipes using legumes that weren't soup. She's making a big effort to cook healthy meals at home, rather than grab something fast on campus. Always happy to comply, I set about looking for something appetizing that would appeal to her palate.
She loves beans, so I began there. As it turns out, there are many bean recipes that use tomatoes in some form or another. She's not a big fan of tomatoes, so I kept looking. She likes cauliflower, but not broccoli. I'd mostly forgotten what is was like to juggle the individual tastes of my family. Now I just cook whatever I want and my long-suffering husband gets to eat it. Sometimes I take pity on him and cook something Chinese just to keep him happy. And sometimes I don't.
I lit upon this recipe that contained cauliflower and beans and feta cheese and it seemed like the perfect fit. When I made it for lunch today, my husband pronounced it "not bad at all, really." Wait until he sees what's on the menu for dinner. That's my post for tomorrow.This recipe calls for raw cauliflower, which you can do if you like, but I find it hard to digest. I recommend that you blanch it for a few minutes in boiling water and then drain and rinse. I found the step of heating the oil and rosemary unnecessary. It just dirtied a pot and I didn't think it enhanced the flavour so much. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, which seemed like an enormous amount to me, especially as feta cheese is usually quite salty. I waited until the salad was dressed and then added salt accordingly. If you like capers, a tablespoon or so would be good in this salad. The endive in my store wasn't local, but the savoy cabbage was, so I substituted it. You could make this with regular greens as well.
INGREDIENTS
| 1/3 cup | olive oil |
| 1 teaspoon | minced fresh rosemary |
| 2 tablespoons | fresh lemon juice |
| 1 tablespoon | red wine vinegar |
| 2 1/2 teaspoons | finely grated lemon peel |
| 1/2 teaspoons | salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | ground black pepper |
| 1 | medium head of cauliflower, trimmed, cut into small florets (about 3 cups) |
| 1 | can white beans, drained (15-ounce, such as Great Northern or navy beans) |
| 2 | large heads of Belgian endive, trimmed, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise |
| 1 tablespoon | chopped fresh chives |
| 2 teaspoons | chopped fresh parsley |
| 1/2 cup | crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces) |
PREPARATION:
- Combine oil and rosemary in small saucepan. Stir over medium heat just until fragrant, about 1 minute. Cool.
- Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, lemon peel, salt, and pepper in small bowl.
- Combine cauliflower, beans, endive, chives, parsley, and rosemary oil in medium bowl; toss. Mix in cheese. Add lemon juice mixture and toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper.
From the January 2007 issue of Bon Appetit
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