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Explore Recipes Page 41

Pasta e Fagioli Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

You know pasta e fagioli as a hearty soup that stars the tiny pasta tubes called ditalini and creamy white beans, perfect for chilly nights. But there’s no reason to “table” this great combination when you can give it a summery twist: a salad composed of all its delicious ingredients, plus a sweet-tart vinaigrette great for all kinds of salads. If you can’t find ditalini, you can use any small-sized pasta—the idea is to get a variety close to the size of the beans. For another layer of flavor, top with shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar of Modena 
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 garlic clove, minced 
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 3 cups cooked cannellini beans or one 29-ounce can, rinsed and drained
  • 3 cups cooked pasta, such as ditalini
  • 3 cups cherry tomatoes 
  • 1 medium red onion, slivered
  • 2 tablespoons each chopped fresh parsley and basil, plus more for garnish

Directions

Step 1

Make the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together the two vinegars, mustard, honey, salt, and garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Step 2

Place the beans, pasta, tomatoes, red onion, and herbs in a large glass bowl and pour on the vinaigrette. Toss gently to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with more herbs.

Yields 6 generous servings

Roasted Ratatouille

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

All the flavors of seasonal bounty meld together in this dish. Rather than cooking it on the stovetop, it’s roasted in the oven, with minimal attention. This technique helps preserve the taste and texture of the individual vegetables, even as they cook in each other’s juices, and creates more of a caramelized medley than a stew. Ratatouille makes a delicious side dish, a topping for grilled bread or pasta, and a hearty sauce for roasted chicken or fish.

Ingredients

  • 1 small eggplant, about 1 pound 
  • 1-1/2 pounds tomatoes, any variety
  • 1 pound zucchini or summer squash, green and/or yellow
  • 3 yellow, orange, or red bell peppers
  • 1 large onion, about 1 pound
  • 8 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for the pans
  • 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar from Modena, plus more to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cut all the vegetables into roughly 1-inch diced pieces and mix together along with the garlic in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt, and toss to coat. Lightly oil two rimmed sheet pans (or line them with parchment paper) and divide the vegetables between them. Roast the veggies for a total of 3 hours.

Step 2

After the first hour, as the vegetables give up their moisture and shrink in volume, combine them in one of the sheet pans; after the second hour, flip the veggies with a large spatula.

Step 3

When done, transfer the vegetables back to the large bowl, taking care to get all the juices. Season with pepper, drizzle on the last tablespoon of olive oil and the vinegar, and sprinkle with the parsley.

Serves 8

Lamb Asado with Molho de Campanha

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Lamb is a popular meat at Chilean asados (barbecues). Seasoned simply with salt and pepper, then grilled over mature coals, the meat is often served with freshly made rustic sauces or salsas.

Ingredients

For the lamb:

  • One butterflied leg of lamb, about 5 pounds Coarse salt (kosher or sea)
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For the molho de campanha:

  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar, or more to taste
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 medium plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
  • 1/2 sweet onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Step 1

Cut a small chunk of fat from the lamb (use this to oil the grill grate), then season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Let the meat rest for 45 minutes.

Step 2

Set up a grill for direct grilling and heat to medium-high. Brush the grill grate clean, then impale the lamb fat on a long-handled fork and oil the grill grate. Arrange the lamb on the grate and grill, turning as needed, for 40 minutes to one hour. (The time will depend on the heat of your grill.)

Step 3

In the meantime, place the wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a nonreactive mixing bowl and whisk until the salt dissolves. Add the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, parsley, and oil and stir to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt, black pepper, and/or vinegar as necessary.

Step 4

Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving with the molho de campanha.

Serves 8

Six Bean Salad

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

This twist on a traditional three bean salad really moves the needle for flavor—double the beans, double the taste. For color, texture, and nutrients, I love adding green (string) beans to the mix—from long beans to slim French haricots verts, there are many fresh options available now. For the legumes in this recipe, canned beans are great for convenience—just rinse and drain them before adding them to your mixing bowl. If you want to prepare your own ingredients by using dried beans, you can soak and cook most of the varieties together. The exceptions to this strategy are the chickpeas (because they have a much shorter cooking time) and the black beans (because they could tint the white beans).

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/2 garlic clove, peeled and minced 
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the salad:

  • 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and steamed
  • 1 cup cooked gigante or cannellini beans
  • 1 cup cooked red kidney beans
  • 1 cup cooked black beans
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1 cup cooked lima beans

Directions

Step 1

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, honey, salt, garlic, and pepper flakes. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Season to taste with black pepper and more salt if desired. Set aside.

Step 2

In a very large bowl, gently toss all the beans together and then pour on the vinaigrette. Toss again and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to help the flavors meld before refrigerating. 

Yields 12 servings