White Bean Salad With Grilled Figs Food

EASY WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Add white beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and mint to a large mixing bowl.
• Add lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, then add za'atar, sumac and Aleppo pepper.
• Finish with lemon juice and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (2 to 3 tablespoons).Give the salad a good toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add feta cheese, if you like. (For best flavor, let the salad sit in the dressing for 30 minutes or so before serving. See notes).

WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Place beans, celery, red pepper, vinegar, and oil in a medium bowl. Toss until well combined. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Add basil and serve immediately.
• Morph: For a super quick white bean dip: puree the salad in a food processor or blender, add 1 or 2 dashes of hot sauce and serve on crackers or grilled bread.

LEMONY WHITE BEAN AND ARUGULA SALAD

Steps:

• Salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the arugula, beans, red onion, and capers.
• Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, maple syrup and lemon zest. Slowly whisk in the oil until smooth and combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat. Serve.

FIG SQUARES

Steps:

• For baking: 1 egg, beaten For dough, in a large mixing bowl, mix dry ingredients. Add 1/4 pound soft butter and work finely into flour. Cut cold butter into 1/2 pieces and add to bowl. Work in until butter is left pea-sized. Drizzle water over mixture and toss in. If dough is dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Dough should be loose in bowl, not in a ball. Turn out onto work surface and pull together. Divide into 2 equal portions, flatten each slightly, and wrap in plastic. Chill at least 1 hour before rolling. (Refrigerate up to 3 days, freeze up to 6 months.) For the fig filling, in a large saucepan, combine all but 1/3 of the grated zest and butter, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until fruit is soft and liquid thickened. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Add butter and puree to blend. Add remaining zest and pulse in. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool. To assemble and bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 11 by 17-inch baking sheet (up to 12 x18) with parchment paper. Remove one of the wrapped pieces of dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. Roll dough on a floured surface into a rectangle to fit the bottom and sides of the baking sheet. Line the sheet with the dough. Place the baking sheet in the freezer while the second piece of dough is rolled out in the same way. Remove baking sheet from freezer and spread fig filling evenly over the surface of the dough. Top with the second sheet of dough and pinch the edges to seal. Trim the excess dough. Brush surface of dough with beaten egg. Prick through the top layer of dough with a fork evenly over the surface (about 1 1/2 apart.) Place baking sheet on bottom rack of oven. Bake 25 to35 minutes, until dough is a light-medium golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Cut into portions (squares are traditional.)

GRILLED FIGS WITH RICOTTA AND MOLASSES OR MELTED CHOCOLATE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium-high.
• Skewer figs, leaving enough room in between, and brush lightly with canola oil. Place figs, cut side down, on grill and cook until brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle half the figs with the ricotta and molasses and half with the melted chocolate. Garnish with mint.

CHERRY TOMATO AND WHITE BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the red onion and garlic and set the dressing aside to marinate for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Place the tomatoes, white beans and parsley in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad, toss well, then gently fold in the Parmesan. Serve at room temperature using a slotted spoon.

GRILLED FIGS WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

Steps:

• Prepare a hot or medium-hot grill or heat a grill pan to medium-hot. Cut figs in half.
• In a large bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add figs to the bowl and gently toss until they are thoroughly coated.
• Place on grill or grill pan flat side down. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes (depending on the heat), until grill marks appear. Turn over using tongs or a spatula and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side.
• Remove to a platter or sheet pan and brush each fig on the cut side with pomegranate molasses (you don't need much).
• Arrange 2 slices of goat cheese and 2 to 3 whole figs (4 to 6 halves, to taste) on each of 6 serving plates, garnish with mint leaves, and serve.

WHITE BEAN CAPRESE SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, cheese and half the basil. Gently toss together.
• Add the olive oil and season the mixture well with salt and pepper. Gently stir to combine.
• Drizzle the salad with the balsamic vinegar and top with the remaining basil. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Add a drizzle or so more of oil and vinegar if needed. Finish with flaky salt.