Roasted Squash Salad with White Beans, Bread Crumbs, and Preserved Lemon

This salad offers a serious combination of flavors and textures while still being simple and uncomplicated. The roasted squash and white beans are buttery, the bread crumbs add texture, and the preserved lemons offer a surprising floral brine. The beans need to soak for a few hours, so plan for that. You can certainly use canned beans instead, but simmering the soaked beans with bay and garlic will ultimately be more flavorful, and the soaked beans retain their texture better than canned ones. My preference is to keep the squash unpeeled if the skin is thin and free of too many hard bumps. MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

1 Place the dried beans in a medium Dutch oven. Cover with water by 2 inches and refrigerate for 8 to 12 hours.

Step 2

2 Drain the soaking water from the beans and discard. Add more water so the beans are covered by 1 inch. Add the head of garlic and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Drain the beans. Discard the bay leaf and garlic. The beans can be stored in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.

Step 3

3 While the beans are cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the squash, onion, garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, sumac, and cayenne together on a baking sheet. Bake the squash for 30 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.

Step 4

4 Place the bread in a food processor and pulse into chunky bread crumbs.

Step 5

Heat the remaining tablespoon olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat, and add the bread crumbs. Stir until well coated with oil and toasted, about 2 minutes. Toss in the preserved lemon and parsley.

Step 6

5 Transfer the roasted vegetables to a platter. Top with the beans, bread crumbs, vinegar, and microgreens. Toss everything together and serve lukewarm or at room temperature.