White Bean Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Red Peppers, Smoked Mozzarella and Pesto Vinaigret

For Pairing with SCHUG Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay

• 6 cups cooked small white beans, drained*
• ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, cut into very small dice
• ½ cup roasted red bell peppers, cut into very small dice
• 1 cup celery, cut into very small dice
• 1 cup scallions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup parsley, chopped
• ½ cup pesto
• Zest from one lemon
• Juice from ½ of a lemon
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• I cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cups smoked mozzarella cheese, cut into very small dice

Toss together the beans, tomatoes, peppers, celery, scallions and parsley in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together the pesto, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil in a separate smaller bowl; set aside.

Add the mozzarella cubes to the bean mixture, separating them with your hands as they are added. The cheese cubes will want to stick together, so mix them gently into the salad mix a couple times as they are being added.

Last, add about 1/2 of the vinaigrette to the salad mix and toss together. Taste the salad and add more vinaigrette as desired. Serve at room temperature for best flavors. Makes 10-12 servings.

*Cook’s note: canned beans are fine in this recipe although they are very soft and may fall apart. Homemade white beans will have a much better texture. This is a nice salad all year long since the fresh ingredients are readily available and the beans, tomatoes, peppers, etc. are all pantry ingredients you can keep on hand. To make this salad really special, make your own pesto! In summer, make lots of it and keep it in your freezer in 4 oz. containers.