Almost any vegetable, except perhaps potatoes or eggplant, can be served raw — if it is fresh, tossed with olive oil and lemon juice and preferably sliced thinly. Italians in particular are fond of shaved raw vegetables, especially if they are the season’s first sweet and tender crop.
Italians love salads of raw fava beans, or raw baby artichokes, or raw fennel or raw asparagus. Raw vegetables, tamed with olive oil and lemon juice and a little sea salt, are crunchy and refreshing.
Tyler Skrivanek, the talented chef de cuisine at Duo, developed this appetizer, a slice of toasted country bread topped with a creamy white bean spread and a salad of shaved vegetables.
The white bean spread is given a depth of flavor with the addition of some bitter tahini paste, and the vegetables are rounded out with a light made-to-order dressing and some shaved parmesan.
Because the vegetable salad requires some precision cutting, the vegetables should be sliced with a mandoline equipped with a safety guard. If you don’t have a mandoline, omit the fennel, and shave the asparagus and radish with a vegetable peeler.
John Broening cooks at Duo and Olivea restaurants in Denver.
White Bean Bruschetta with Shaved Vegetable Salad
Serves 8
Ingredients
WHITE BEAN HUMMUS
1 cup cooked white beans
3 tablespoons sesame tahini
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch cayenne
SHAVED VEGETABLE SALAD
4 large asparagus stalks, bottom 2 inches removed
1 small bulb fennel
4 radishes, washed and stemmed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper
BRUSCHETTA
4 thick slices levain or sourdough bread
Chunk of Parmesan
Directions
To make the White Bean Hummus: In a food processor, blend beans, tahini, garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne until smooth. Keep covered until ready to use.
To make the Shaved Vegetable Salad: Cut the asparagus into 2-inch pieces. Remove the two outer layers from the fennel. Using a mandoline equipped with a safety guard, shave the asparagus, radish and fennel paper thin (be sure to cut the fennel horizontally).
Place the shaved vegetables in a mixing bowl, and, up to 20 minutes before serving, toss them with the olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.
Toast, grill or broil the bread. Spread the White Bean Hummus on the bread, top with the Shaved Vegetable Salad, then with a little shaved Parmesan. Serve immediately.
