Chickpea and Collardini Salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
Broccoli raab, a bitter Italian flowering broccoli, is commonly paired with white beans in Italian cooking, so we borrowed the combination here for our collardini variation. By dry-roasting the collardini in the oven, it softens without losing its bite. This makes a great room-temperature side dish.
Ingredients:
1 bunch (about 8 ounces) collardini or other flowering brassica shoots
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely grated or chopped
1 sprig rosemary
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 lemons
1½ tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¾ cup neutral vegetable oil
Kosher salt
½ cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the collardini on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking.
Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-low heat, add the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. Gently warm until the garlic and rosemary smell fragrant and lightly sizzle, 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir for 1-2 minutes, letting flavors combine. Remove from heat, discard rosemary sprig, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon, mustard, and vinegar. Slowly drizzle in the vegetable oil a little at a time while whisking constantly to make an emulsified vinaigrette.
When cool enough to handle, transfer the collardini to a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces. Add to a medium bowl with the chickpeas, and drizzle ¼ cup of the mustard vinaigrette over top. Mix well, season with kosher salt and a squeeze of lemon to taste; add more vinaigrette if you like. Sprinkle with parmigano before serving.