Serves: 2 - Time:
I’m always banging on about quality ingredients and what a difference they may make to a recipe. This salad relies on a superior chickpea (I can’t imagine writing that ten years ago) and good tahini. I have raved about Bold Bean Co. before and do urge you to try their range. Here, I have used Queen chickpeas-an almost gobstopper-sized legume –mainly because they are easier to peel than the smaller variety and anything for an easy life is my motto. It may seem a bit of a faff to peel the chickpeas but it will ensure their crispiness. Belazu is my preferred tahini and readily available in most good supermarkets.
Ingredients
- 345g jar Queen Chickpeas (Bold Bean Co) , drained
- 2 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper ( Pul Biber)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Maldon salt
- 125g kale leaves (making sure the tough stalks and veins are removed)
- 1 avocado, stoned, peeled and flesh diced
- For the dressing
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°c, fan 180°c. Lay the drained chickpeas on kitchen paper and pat dry. Gently rub off the outer skins and put the chickpeas in a small roasting pan lined with baking parchment. Drizzle over 1 ½ tsp olive oil and toss the chickpeas in the oil to coat them thoroughly. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp.
- Meanwhile put the Aleppo pepper, paprika and cumin in a bowl and add a teaspoon of Maldon salt. Tip the crispy chickpeas into the bowl and toss well to coat them in the spices. Set aside.
- Put the kale in a large mixing bowl and add a good pinch of Maldon salt and remaining olive oil. Massage the leaves for at least 3 minutes –they should feel soft and slightly moist. Add the chickpeas and avocado.
- For the dressing, mix the tahini with the lemon juice and sriracha. Add about 3 tablespoons of water to loosen the tahini dressing. Taste and season with salt and ground black pepper. Drizzle over the salad just before serving.
