White Bean Salad with Asparagus, Artichoke and Crisp Prosciutto
- 1/4 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
- 6 baby artichokes
- Juice of two lemons
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 pound dried white beans, soaked overnight, cooked until just tender and drained or 2 15.5 ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 bunch asparagus, stems trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces, blanched to tender
- Several tablespoons Anchovy and Parsley Sauce, see recipe below
- Crusty toasted bread, for serving
Heat oven to 350. Arrange prosciutto in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in oven and toast until crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on things. Remove prosciutto from baking sheet and let cool completely on a wire rack. Don't let prosciutto cool on baking sheet or it may adhere to pan.
Remove tough outer leaves from artichokes. Trim stem ends. Cut in half and scoop out choke if purple and thorny. Slice artichokes as thinly as possible - use a mandolin if you like. Toss sliced artichokes with lemon juice and season with a nice big splash of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper.
Combine beans, asparagus and dressed artichokes in a large bowl. Crumble lovely large pieces of crisp prosciutto over salad. Spoon in several teaspoons of Anchovy and Parsley sauce. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper - a bit more lemon if you like. Toss and serve with good crusty bread.
Anchovy and Parsley Sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, more or less to taste
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves, loosely packed
- 3/4 cups olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt, if needed
Combine garlic, anchovy paste, lemon juice and parsley in the jar of a bar blender. Pulse just to combine. Add olive oil and blend to for a pesto like sauce. Season with pepper - a tiny pinch of salt if needed. Transfer to a clean jar. Keep refrigerated. Stir in to soups, serve with roast vegetables (cauliflower), use to dress salads (see above) or just spoon over bread.