Quick White Bean and Celery Ragout
For this hearty twist on the classic wedge salad, we use seared radicchio as the base. Quickly cooking a quartered head of radicchio in a hot, oil-slicked skillet deeply browned and slightly softened the vegetable's cut sides while leaving the inner leaves crisp. To complement its bitterness, we paired the radicchio with a creamy, savory dressing; rich toasted walnuts; refreshing and sweet fruit; and salty Parmesan, making sure that there was plenty of each to balance every bite.
INGREDIENTS
⅔ cup vegetable stock, plus more as needed
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 stalks celery, thinly sliced on an angle, leaves reserved
2 medium zucchini (about 7 ounces each), trimmed, quartered lengthwise then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Lemon juice, to taste
Sherry vinegar, to taste
Crème fraîche, mascarpone or sour cream, for serving
Pesto or kale pesto for serving
Cooked pearl couscous or grilled bread, for serving
Directions:
Combine the stock, oil, celery, zucchini and scallions in a large, deep skillet; season generously with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, adding the beans halfway through, about 10 minutes total. If you’d like to make it brothier, add 1/3 cup vegetable stock and warm for 1 minute. Season with lemon, sherry vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste
Divide among shallow bowls. Top with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream, drizzle with pesto and top with celery leaves. Serve with couscous or grilled bread.
Recipe Source: New York Times Cooking