I’ve long been a fan of having salad be the star of the show. With all the heavy food around at this time in the year I often find sanctuary in a humble salad with a crisp glass of rose.
There’s a lot going on in the giant buddha bowl, chickpeas which act like smoked croutons, soft charred lettuce, crunchy asparagus, and mountains of crisp greens all combined with a rich and creamy herb-spiked tahini yoghurt.
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 tablespoons olive oil,
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
Herb Tahini Yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Large bunch flat-leaf parsley
½ cup tahini
½ cup plain yoghurt
½ cup olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Sea salt
To assemble:
1 bunch asparagus
3 baby gem lettuces, cut in half
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
1 cup each pea shoots and snow peas
2 cups salad greens
6 free-range eggs, boiled
¼ cup black sesame seeds, toasted
Preheat oven to 200C fan bake. Pat dry chickpeas in a tea towel then spread onto a roasting tray tossing with olive oil to coat. Roast until just brown and crispy, tossing occasionally for about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika and roast 2-3 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
For the green tahini yoghurt pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth and season with salt. Set aside.
Toss asparagus and lettuces in olive oil, salt and pepper.
In batches, place over a griddled frypan preheated to high heat and cook, turning occasionally, until well-charred and tender, 5 to 8 minutes, then set aside.
In a large bowl or platter add chickpeas and top with charred asparagus and baby gem lettuces, avocadoes, pea shoots, snow peas, salad greens and eggs. Dollop with green tahini yoghurt, black sesame seeds, a drizzle of good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.
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