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I really love this salad, it is has an unusual combination of tastes & textures. Until recently, I had never had a salad with chickpeas in it, let alone one which has chickpeas as a main ingredient. This is a brilliant salad to serve during the summer months.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of cooked & drained chickpeas
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white (wine) vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsely, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sweet vidalia onion, or shallot
• salt & fresh ground black pepper to tasts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare the salad dressing by mixing the vinegar, olive oil, garlic & parsley in a small bowl. This will now act as your marinade.
2. Place the chickpeas & the onions in a medium sized bowl & mix. Pour the marinade into the medium sized bowl & mix well.
3. Season to taste then cover the bowl with plastic wrap & place in the fridge over night.
4. Remove the salad from the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving as it is best eaten at room temperature. Just before serving, check the seasoning & re-season if desired.

TIPS:

1. It is important to use as high a quality olive oil as possible, it really makes a huge difference to the salad.
2. If you do not want to cook the chickpeas yourself, you can use canned (boiled) chickpeas – just rinse them & drain them well before using.

Teri Carpenter of Albuquerque, New Mexico, writes: “On a trip to British Columbia, we dined at Blue Heron Inn, on Porpoise Bay, in Sechelt. They served a fabulous onion and fennel bisque. Could you get the chef to share the recipe with Gourmet?”

This bisque is so lush that demitasse cups make an ideal serving size.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Makes 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2leeks (white and pale green parts only), chopped (1 cup)
• 3medium red onions, chopped (3 1/2 cups)
• 1/2lb fennel bulb (sometimes called anise), stalks discarded and bulb cored and chopped (1 1/4 cups)
• 1large garlic clove, minced
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4cup dry white wine
• 2cups vegetable stock or low-sodium broth
• 1 1/4cups water
• 1teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1cup heavy cream
• 2teaspoons pernod garnish:chopped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well.

Cook onions, leeks, fennel, and garlic in butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes. Add wine and boil, uncovered, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add stock, water, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer, uncovered, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in cream and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and liquid is reduced to about 6 cups, about 15 minutes.

Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), then transfer to a soup tureen and stir in Pernod.

Cooks’ note:
Soup can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat, adding more water if necessary to thin to desired consistency.

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• soup
• 2tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2tablespoons olive oil
• 8cups sliced onions
• 1/3cup pearl barley
• 3tablespoons dry sherry
• 8cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 4fresh thyme sprigsflans
• 3tablespoons butter
• 2cups sliced onions
• 3/4cup whipping cream
• 3large eggs
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/4cups (packed) grated swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS For soup: Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add barley and Sherry; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken stock and thyme. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Bring to simmer before serving.)

For flans:Preheat oven to 300°F. Place six 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes in baking pan. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until tender but not brown, about 8 minutes. Cool slightly; transfer to blender. Add cream, eggs, salt, and pepper; blend until smooth. Stir in cheese. Divide custard among prepared cups. Fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake flans until centers are softly set, about 30 minutes.

Cool flans 10 minutes in pan. Cut around flans to loosen; turn out each in center of soup bowl. Ladle soup around flans and serve.

This is one of my favorite hors d’oeuvres. Normally I make them as rounds,
but I have learned that you can also make them larger in sandwich form, which
works very well. Any way, shape, or form, these simple toasts are the best.
The onions and mayonnaise melt together under the high heat of the broiler
and taste delicious. They’re a great nibble to serve to get your appetite
going, and they couldn’t be easier to put together. I like to use a sweet
Vidalia onion if I can find it.

Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

This recipe is an accompaniment for Brined Pork Loin with Onion, Raisin, and Garlic Compote .

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1pound pearl onions1/4cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 24garlic cloves, peeled
• 1bay leaf
• 1 1/2cups tawny port
• 1/4cup white wine vinegar
• 4teaspoons sugar
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/2cup raisins
• 1 1/2teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

DIRECTIONS Bring large saucepan of water to boil. Add onions. Boil 2 minutes. Drain. Rinse under cold water. Peel onions. Trim root end slightly, leaving root base intact.

Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and bay leaf. Sauté until garlic is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add Port, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Simmer 8 minutes. Add onions and raisins. Simmer until onions are tender, stirring occasionally, about 9 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in thyme. Discard bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.) Serve warm.