Cannellini soup with garlic & parsley

For ➍-➏
8 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 ts chopped garlic
350 g cooked cannellini or other white beans, from dried beans (recommended)*
salt & black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
25 cl homemade beef stock or water**
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley
thick grilled or toasted slices of crusty bread (optional)

Put the oil and chopped garlic in a soup pot and turn on the heat to medium. Cook the garlic, stirring it, until is becomes colored a very pale gold. Add the drained cooked or canned beans, a pinch of salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Cover and simmer gently for 5 to 6 m.
Take about 100 g of beans from the pot and puree them through a food mill back into the pot, together with all the broth.
Alternately, use a blender, loosening with a bit of the broth. Simmer for another 5 to 6 m, taste, and correct for salt and pepper. Swirl in the chopped parsley, and turn off the heat.
Ladle over the grilled bread slices into individual soup bowls.

*cannellini bean = white kidney bean = fazolia bean
For dried beans, soak them in lots of cold water for a minimum of 5 h. Drain and rinse, then put them in a large pan, cover with 5 cm of cold water, bring to the boil, scoop off any foam, then boil for a further 10 m. Scoop the foam off again, then add just a little salt (too much salt before they're cooked will harden the skin, as will anything acidic like lemon juice or tomatoes), and simmer gently with the pan lid half on for 1 to 1.5 h, until tender. Keep an eye on the water level, and add more if necessary.
**Use a little less water or broth (5 cl) and oil (2 tbs) to make a thicker mash that can be served as a side dish with roast white fish, spicy chorizo and grilled scallop, or spread on thick bread.

Grilled salmon & fennel salad

For ➍
400 g salmon, with skin*
2 medium fennel bulbs, with stalks & fronds
100 g (or 1 can) cannellini beans**
salt & black pepper
garlic powder
olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
(rice wine) vinegar

Cut stalks off fennel, reserving the fronds. Cut the bulbs in half.

Coat the fennel with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

Do the same with the salmon. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the seasoned salmon.

Grill the fennel and the salmon on a preheated grill, brushing occasionally with olive oil.

After everything has been turned once or twice, squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over everything. Continue cooking until fennel is slightly soft and has dark grill marks, and salmon is cooked through.***

Let everything cool a bit, before slicing fennel into pretty thin strips, and flaking the salmon off the skin.

Place into a bowl together. Add rinsed beans. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of vinegar, and season with salt, pepper and white pepper. Toss gently.

Serve with crusty bread.****

*With skin, it's easier to grill the fish.
**Or other white beans. When using dried beans, cook them separately. (Use 40 g dried beans, they will double in size when cooked). You could use cooked green beans. Or leave the beans out.
***Salmon steaks of 2.5 cm thick would need 5 m for each side on medum, when the grill is hot enough to scar the flesh. Sliced fennel of 2.5 cm thick would need 5 m to grill, then 5 m to become sweet. A trick is to microwave the fish, about 1 m per 100 g, stop before completion, then grill the fish for 2 m each side.
****Or put it away and eat it cold the next day.

Read a similar recipe: seared salmon with fennel salad.

Scallops & white beans salad

For ➍
350 g white beans (soaked)**
3 spring onions
2 endives
1 cup watercress
8 slices of cured ham
10 cl apple juice
4 cl hazelnut oil
4 cl Xeres vinegar (or apple vinegar)
200 g sour cream
pepper & salt
8 scallops
olive oil
a knob of butter
apple*
hazelnuts*

The day before, soak dry white beans soak in cold water. (Or use canned or bottled. Rinse under running water before use.)
Cook the soaked beans cooked in lightly salted water. Cool the beans under cold running water and set aside.
Cut the heads of endive lengthwise in two. Chop the vegetables into thin strips. Add the sliced endive to the white beans.
Chop the spring onions into very thin (oval) rings. Add to the beans
Take a mixing bowl and pour in the apple juice, the hazelnut oil and vinegar. Add sour cream. Blend into a smooth vinaigrette.
Add salt & pepper.
Immediately pour a little vinaigrette over the beans and salad mix to prevent the endives from colouring. Season the salad to taste with pepper and a pinch of salt.
(Add a few thin slices grated hazelnuts and apple.)*
Pat the scallops dry.
Heat a knob of butter and a dash of olive oil in a pan.
Place the scallops in the pan. Season with pepper & salt. Bake the nuts for 2 m, turn them over and let them fry for 1 m.
Just before serving, mix watercress through the bean salad.
Spoon some of the bean salad on each plate. Put two freshly baked scallops on it. Garnish with shredded ham. Pour some vinaigrette on the plate.

*Optional.
**Omit the beans for a lighter salad.

Read tip on cooking scallops.

Tuna & sun dried tomatoes & white beans salad

For ➍
200 g can tuna in olive oil, drained & flaked*
1½ tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove
5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
400 cl can cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
5 tbs oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained & sliced**
4 tbs finely chopped red onion
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley or basil

Whisk lemon juice, garlic, ¼ ts salt, and ⅛ ts freshly ground pepper in bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil.

Add beans, tuna, tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors, about 2 h.

Remove from refrigerator about 30 m before serving.

Serve at room temperature as a main course, or as a salad bar antipasto.

*Replace with 200 g sliced salami, or cold roasted chicken.
*Use broiled fresh tuna steaks instead.
**Grill sliced Roma tomatoes for a few m, with some salt. Sprinkle with olive oil.

Read tip on drying tomatoes in the oven.