Salad Samurai

SERVES: 2 OR MORE AS AN APPETIZER

TIME: 30 MINUTES

Directly inspired by the NYC sandwich chain ’wichcraft’s “secret” vegan sandwich stuffed with a chickpea filling, these tender spears of endive are slathered with a creamy chopped chickpea salad bursting with preserved lemons, juicy roasted peppers, and olives. Or to hell with the endive—go ahead and scoop up the chickpea filling with crisp crackers for lunch or throughout the day for a protein-loaded snack.

1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups cooked homemade

1 roasted red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and finely diced

¼ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped

1 small red onion, finely diced

½ preserved lemon, seeded but pulp intact

¼ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon good extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 to 10 endive heads, about 5 inches long each

Aleppo red pepper flakes, for garnish

1 In a mixing bowl, mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or a big wooden spoon until creamy but still chunky. Add the bell pepper, olives, onion, preserved lemon, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, cayenne, a pinch of salt, and a twist of freshly ground black pepper. Combine thoroughly, cover, and chill for 20 minutes.

2 When ready to serve, prepare the endive. Slice off the root ends of the endive heads, then use your fingers to carefully separate the heads into single leaves. Use leaves that are at least 1 inch wide at the base (nibble on the leaves too small to fill) and spoon a generous tablespoon of the chickpea mixture onto the wide end of each leaf. Sprinkle each leaf with Aleppo pepper and serve!

ALMOST-OVERNIGHT PRESERVED LEMONS

Try this fast-track for homemade preserved lemons! From my book Vegan Eats World, a few slivers of salty, tangy lemons electrify just about any dish. Slice four organic, well-scrubbed lemons almost into quarters, leaving about ½ inch unsliced at one end to keep the lemons from falling apart. Use ¼ cup kosher salt for each lemon and pack as much as possible into the center of each lemon. Pack the lemons together with any remaining salt into a gallon-size resealable plastic bag (the lemons will be swimming in salt, and that’s okay!). Squeeze out the air, seal, and freeze overnight. One hour before using, remove a lemon and thaw at room temperature. To use, tear apart the segments, pluck out the seeds, and finely chop.