Zucchini ribbons and marinated artichokes, tossed with a lemon macadamia dressing and toasted macadamias, served with caramelised onion and butter bean puree.
3tablespoonextra virgin olive oil, (or macadamia oil if you have it)
½teaspoondijon mustard
¼teaspoonsalt
2-3grindsblack pepper
1-2teaspoonmaple syrup, (optional)
For the caramelised onion and butter bean puree:
1tablespoonolive oil
1onion, roughly chopped
1clovegarlic, roughly chopped
1canbutter beans, drained (400g/14oz can)
1teaspoondijon mustard
¼teaspoonsalt
2-4tablespoonwater
For the salad:
2zucchini
170-180gmarinated artichokes, (a small jar, about 6oz)
½cupmacadamias, roughly chopped (about 70g/2.5oz)
Lemon zest, to garnish
Instructions
The dressing and puree can be made ahead of time, then used to assemble the salad at serving time.
Put all dressing ingredients except for the maple syrup into a small blender (I used a stick blender in an upright blending jar). Blend until perfectly smooth, then taste and adjust sourness by adding 1-2 teaspoon maple syrup, if desired. Set aside until serving time.
To make the puree, heat olive oil in a frypan (skillet) over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for around 10 minutes or until deeply caramelised. Add garlic for the final 1-2 minutes of cooking time. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Put caramelised onion mixture, butter beans, mustard, salt and 2 tablespoon of water into a blender or food processor. Blend until fairly smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed. You may like to add another 1-2 tablespoon of water to achieve a thick but smooth consistency. Set aside until serving time.
To make the salad, trim ends from the zucchini then use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to slice the zucchini into thin ribbons lengthwise. Drain artichokes and slice each piece in half, if you like. If using natural macadamias, toast in a dry frypan for about 5 minutes until coloured in places. Toss zucchini ribbons, artichokes, macadamias and dressing together in a mixing bowl.
To serve, smear a generous scoop of bean puree onto a plate, then top with a jumble of salad and a sprinkle of lemon zest. For a more substantial meal, serve with grilled pita bread.