From the blog For Love of the Table
12 oz/340 g. broccoli, tough ends trimmed and discarded
2 1/2 to 3 T. olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 c. arugula pesto
1 1/2 to 2 T. water or bean cooking liquid
1 1/2 c. cooked (see below) or canned white beans, drained and rinsed
Freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
A small handful of arugula
1/3 to 1/2 c. Whipped Feta (or 2 oz. crumbled Feta), recipe below
Warm Flatbread or thick slabs of toasted Artisan-style bread
Separate the florets from the broccoli stems and cut the florets into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces. Split the stems as necessary so they are no fatter than 1/2-inch and then cut on a long angle into bite-sized pieces. Place the broccoli in a bowl and drizzle with enough of the olive oil to coat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and transfer to a 450° oven. Roast until tender and well-caramelized—about 20 minutes—turning once about 3/4 of the way through the roasting process.
While the broccoli roasts, place the pesto in a large bowl and thin with a bit of water or bean cooking liquid, if you have it. Add the beans and toss to coat. Season to taste. Set aside and let marinate while the broccoli finishes roasting.
When the broccoli is tender, add to the bowl with the beans. Toss to combine. Add more pesto if you like, thinning with more water if necessary. Taste and add lemon if necessary.
Smear a big spoonful of whipped Feta onto 2 plates, placing it just off center. Toss the arugula with a squeeze of lemon and season with salt and pepper. Scatter over the center of the plate, half on half off the cheese. Divide the bean and broccoli salad between the plates, mounding it in the center on top of the arugula. If you did not make the Whipped Feta, crumble some Feta cheese over all. Drizzle with more olive oil and serve with warm flatbreads (or warm grilled/toasted artisan bread). Serves 2.
Note: It would be easy to double this recipe. Just make sure you have a large enough baking sheet for the broccoli so it isn’t too crowded on the sheet…use two pans if necessary.
Basic Cooked White Beans:
Soak 1/2 c. Great Northern (or other white bean) overnight (or use a modified quick soak). Drain and rinse the beans. Place them in a shallow gratin/baking dish, drizzle with some olive oil and add a couple of cloves of garlic, if you like. Cover with boiling water by an inch, cover the pan with a tight fitting lid, or a piece of foil. Transfer to a 325° oven and bake until tender. This will take about an hour and 15 minutes. Add salt to taste when the beans are half cooked. Beans may be cooked. Cool the beans in their cooking liquid and store in the fridge in their cooking liquid. Makes 1 1/2 c. cooked beans.
Whipped Feta:
Place a mounded 1/3 c. drained, crumbled Feta, a mounded 1/3 c. whole milk ricotta, and 10 twists of black pepper in the bowl of the food processer fitted with the steel blade. Process until smooth. With the machine running, add 2 T. of extra virgin olive oil in a thin stream. Pause and scrape down the sides as necessary. The mixture should get lovely and creamy. Taste it and adjust with salt, pepper, up to a teaspoon and a half of lemon juice if you like a tangy profile or even more olive oil—you should be able to taste the oil as well as the cheeses. Store in the fridge for up to a week (bearing in mind that it will thicken considerably during storage if you added lemon). Makes a generous 3/4 c. (Adapted from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden)
http://www.forloveofthetable.com/2020/05/roasted-broccoli-white-bean-salads.html
As published on forloveofthetable.com
Unless otherwise noted, all content and photos © 2010-2020 Paige Vandegrift, All Rights Reserved