Marinated fennel + chickpea salad tartines with whipped feta
Delight your taste buds with the refreshing blend of marinated fennel, hearty chickpeas, and creamy whipped feta on crunchy tartines. Perfect for a light and satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon harissa
- 2 teaspoons za’atar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 14-ounce can chickpeas
- 1 medium fennel bulb
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 340g Feta cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 loaf Italian sesame bread
Instructions:
- Prepare a large mixing bowl where you will combine all the salad ingredients. Finely chop the small red onion and garlic cloves. Separate the thyme leaves from the sprigs. Mix in the harissa, za'atar, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Rinse off the chickpeas and add them to the bowl. Remove the fronds from the fennel bulb, wash it, remove any brown spots, halve it lengthwise, and thinly slice each half crosswise (a mandoline works well for this). Incorporate 1/2 cup of lemon juice and 1/4 cup of olive oil into the bowl, and mix all the ingredients until evenly combined. For best results, make this salad the night before and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. An hour before serving, take the salad out of the refrigerator and mix in the chives and parsley. You can also prepare the salad a few hours ahead or serve it immediately.Next, prepare the whipped feta: Coarsely chop the feta and place it in a food processor with the cream cheese. Pulse a few times to combine. With the processor running, slowly add 6 tablespoons of olive oil and then the remaining 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Continue mixing until the whip is creamy and smooth. Add a sprinkle of cracked black pepper and pulse briefly to mix.Preheat the oven to 375F. Cut the bread into thick slices, approximately 3/4-inch thick. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and brush each one with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Bake the toast for about 10 minutes until they are crisp on the outside but still soft inside. Let the toast cool for 5 minutes.While the toast is still warm but not hot, place a spoonful of whipped feta on each slice. Top the feta with the marinated salad. Serve as is or with a fried or poached egg on top.
Summary:
- Calories: 4416 kcal
- Fat: 313 g
- Protein: 130 g
- Carbs: 294 g
- Potassium: 3317 mg
- Magnesium: 537 mg