I love hummus, but the glory of the chickpea extends far beyond that of a good dip. Chickpeas roasted in aromatic spices make for a great addition to a hearty salad – simply perfect for our first Meatless Monday dinner.
You will need:
2 tins chickpeas drained (I used dried chickpeas that I cooked in my pressure cooker for an hour. They are a lot cheaper than their tinned counterparts and if you buy them from The Refillery there is no packaging that could end up on a landfill).
1 ½ – 2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp chickpea flour (I always forget to buy, so I end up using cake flour and it works just fine)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed in pestle & mortar
1 tsp nigella seeds
1 Tbsp honey
Few glugs of olive oil
½ red onion, very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
50 ml olive oil
1 tsp sugar
Handful chopped dill
200g – 300gr baby spinach
A few pieces of soft feta or 2 balls buffalo mozzarella, roughly torn or sliced
1 bunch of radishes, finely sliced
This is how:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
- Pour the chickpeas into a kitchen cloth, wrap up to secure and shake the chickpeas around to dry them. The dryer your chickpeas are the crispier they will become. If you are looking for very crispy chickpeas, opt for dried chickpeas. Soak them overnight in a little water or cook in pressure cooker.
- Place the chickpeas onto a baking tray, sprinkle over the salt, flour, and spices. Add the honey and a few glugs of oil and pop into the oven.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until they are crisped up and the spices are cooked through. If you want them less crisp bake them for a shorter period.
- While the chickpeas are in the oven, mix the chopped onion, crushed garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil and sugar. Stir in the dill and allow the dressing to sit for about 20 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
- In a large bowl or on a large platter, toss together the spinach leaves with the dressing. Top with chickpeas, cheese, and sliced radishes.
Enjoy!
xxx
