AUGUST 2019 95
Chickpea and Salami Salad
Cups with Pickled Vegetables
ACTIVE 1 HR 15 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 35 MIN
SERVES 4 TO 6
These salad bites hold everything we love
about antipasto: flavorful pickled vegeta-
bles, cured meat, and creamy cheese. Lit-
tle Gem lettuce cups add juicy crunch.
MARINATED MUSHROOMS
(^1) / (^4) cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
21 / 2 lb. fresh button mushrooms,
cleaned and stems trimmed
11 / 2 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste, divided
1 cup dry white wine
(^1) / 2 cup Champagne vinegar
VINAIGRETTE
(^1) / 2 cup red wine vinegar
31 / 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 small garlic clove, smashed
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
(^1) / 2 tsp. kosher salt
(^1) / 8 tsp. black pepper
(^1) / (^2) cup extra-virgin olive oil
SALAD
1 (15.5-oz.) can chickpeas, drained
and rinsed
10 oz. salami, cut into^1 /^2 -inch cubes
(about 2 cups)
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, cut
into^1 / 2 -inch cubes (about 1^1 / 2 cups)
(^3) / (^4) tsp. kosher salt, or to taste
4 to 6 heads Little Gem lettuce, leaves
separated
(^1) / 2 cup pickled carrots (such as Tillen
Farms), cut into 2-inch pieces
(^1) / 2 cup dilly beans (such as Tillen
Farms), cut into 2-inch pieces
(^1) / 2 cup Pickled Red Onions (recipe
p. 73)
- Make the marinated mushrooms:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet
over medium-high. Add half of the mush-
rooms; cook, stirring occasionally, until
lightly browned and slightly softened, 6
to 8 minutes. Sprinkle with^1 / 4 teaspoon
salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until
liquid starts to seep out of mushrooms
and a paring knife inserted in stem meets
some resistance, about 3 minutes.
Transfer mushrooms to a plate. Repeat
procedure with remaining 2 tablespoons
oil, remaining half of mushrooms, and^1 / 4
teaspoon salt. - Return all mushrooms to skillet over
medium-high, and cook, stirring often,
until mushrooms have released most of
their moisture, about 4 minutes. Stir in
wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high.
Boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid is
reduced by slightly more than half, 10 to
12 minutes. Season with remaining 1 tea-
spoon salt or to taste. Transfer mixture to
a large bowl; refrigerate, uncovered, until
cool, about 30 minutes. Drain mush-
rooms before using; discard liquid.- Make the vinaigrette: Combine vine-
gar, Dijon, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt,
and pepper in a blender. Process on high
speed until blended, about 5 seconds.
With blender running on medium speed,
pour olive oil through center opening in a
slow, steady stream, processing until
creamy and smooth, about 40 seconds. - Make the salad: Toss together drained
marinated mushrooms, chickpeas,
salami, mozzarella, and^1 / 2 cup vinaigrette
in a large bowl. Season with salt. Stack
lettuce leaves as needed to form cups,
and divide evenly among 4 to 6 plates.
Spoon mushroom mixture into lettuce
cups; drizzle 2 tablespoons vinaigrette
over each. Top salads evenly with pickled
carrots, dilly beans, and red onions.
—TAYLOR THORNHILL, BATEAU, SEATTLE
MAKE AHEAD Mushrooms may be
marinated up to 4 days in advance; store
covered and chilled in pickling liquid.
WINE Bright, red-fruited Barbera d’Asti:
2016 Renato Ratti
Crunchy Eggplant and Corn
Salad with Mint and Feta
PHOTO P. 91
ACTIVE 30 MIN; TOTAL 40 MIN
SERVES 4Slicing the eggplant into thin, even slabs is
the key to knocking this salad out of the
park; at that thickness, the crunchy coat-
ing gets nice and brown while the eggplant
flesh roasts to the perfect tenderness. The
corn can get a little rowdy in the skillet;
keep it partially covered during cooking to
catch popping kernels.21 / 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs(^1) / 2 cup canola oil, divided
21 /^2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
11 / 4 tsp. black pepper, divided
4 medium ears fresh sweet corn
(about 1^3 /^4 lb.), shucked
1 (1-lb.) eggplant, striped with a
Y-shaped peeler and cut crosswise
into 16 (^1 / 3 -inch-thick) rounds
(^1) / 4 cup mayonnaise
4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1
cup)
(^1) / 4 cup fresh mint leaves
Chile Oil (recipe follows), for
serving
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine bread-
crumbs, 2 tablespoons oil,^1 / 2 teaspoon
salt, and^1 / 4 teaspoon pepper in a medium
bowl; toss to coat. Set aside. Cut kernels
from corn cobs (You will have about 2^1 / 2
cups kernels). Set aside. - Toss together eggplant rounds,^1 / 4 cup
oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and^1 / 2 teaspoon pep-
per in a medium bowl until well coated.
Arrange eggplant in a single layer on a
lightly greased, aluminum foil–lined bak-
ing sheet. Brush top of each eggplant
round with about^3 / 4 teaspoon mayon-
naise and sprinkle with about 2^1 / 2 table-
spoons breadcrumb mixture. Bake in
preheated oven until eggplant is tender
and breadcrumbs are golden brown, 20 to
22 minutes. - Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 table-
spoons oil in a large skillet over high. Add
corn kernels, remaining 1 teaspoon salt,
and remaining^1 / 2 teaspoon pepper. Par-
tially cover skillet, leaving about a 2-inch
gap (for steam to escape and to prevent
corn from popping out of skillet). Cook,
shaking skillet occasionally, until corn is
well charred, about 8 minutes. Remove
from heat, and let cool in skillet, partially
covered, 1 minute. Transfer charred corn
to a bowl. - Arrange 4 eggplant rounds on each of 4
serving plates. Top each of the 4 servings
with about^1 / 3 cup corn,^1 / 4 cup crumbled
feta, and 1 tablespoon mint. Drizzle with
chile oil. —ABRA BERENS, RU F FAG E
WINE Berry-scented Greek rosé: 2018
Gai’a 14-18h Agiorgitiko
Chile Oil
ACTIVE 5 MIN; TOTAL 1 HR 10 MIN
MAKES^1 / 2 CUPDouble this simple recipe and drizzle the
spicy oil over pizza, grilled summer vege-
tables, or fresh goat cheese.(^1) / 2 cup canola oil, divided
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
(^1) / (^4) tsp. kosher salt
Heat^1 / 4 cup oil in a small saucepan over
medium until shimmering, about 3 min-
utes. Remove from heat, and stir in red
pepper and salt. Let stand until fragrant, 1
to 2 minutes. Stir in remaining^1 / 4 cup oil.
Let cool completely, about 1 hour. —ABRA
BERENS, RU F FAG E
MAKE AHEAD Store chile oil in an airtight
container at room temperature up to 5
days.