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.