Recipe Flageolet Vert & Radicchio ‘Bel Fiori’ Salad with Vegan Aioli

[Morning Glory]

Beautiful Bel Fiori radicchio adds a splash of drama to this salad but you could use any radicchio leaves you wish. The slight bitterness of the radicchio contrasts well with the creamy mild beans. The vegan aioli is made with the liquid from a can of black beans. I love the pinky-mauve colour it produces. But if you want a more traditional looking aioli then use the liquid from a can of chickpeas or white beans. This salad is lovely with hard-boiled eggs - which of course, aren’t vegan.

Ingredients (serves 2 as a side or starter)
Radicchio leaves
100-120g cooked flageolet verts and/or white beans (approximately half a can, drained weight)
50 ml liquid from can of black beans (aquafaba).
100 ml vegetable oil
1 x garlic clove, grated on a fine microplane or smashed and worked to a smooth paste
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Lemon juice
Salt
2 or 3 Spring onions, sliced diagonally;
A few very thinly sliced radishes
Pickled sliced red onion (or use raw thinly sliced red onion)
Olive oil or parsley oil to sprinkle
Chilli flakes to sprinkle

Method

1. To make the aioli, place the black bean aquafaba in a beaker and blend with a stick blender until if froths slightly. Alternatively you can use a bowl and electric whisk. Add the oil in a steady stream, blending as you go until it emulsifies. Add the garlic and mustard and blend again. Add salt and lemon juice, to taste, mixing well. The aioli will keep for several days in the fridge.
2. Place the beans in a bowl & mix 1 tbsp of the aioli with the beans and add the spring onions. Set aside a few pieces of Spring onion to scatter. Mix well.
3. Assemble the salad by placing radicchio leaves on the plate and then piling on the bean mixture. Arrange the radish slices and red onion over and around the beans.
4. Serve with extra aioli on the side and chilli flakes to sprinkle (I used smokey tasting Turkish urfa flakes).