Spiced romanesco + chickpea salad

Name: How to cook Spiced romanesco + chickpea salad - cookcic.com
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Us

Introduce

Chef :

Malou Herkes

Spiced romanesco + chickpea salad

Romanesco is a striking looking veg! I found one in my local farm shop, The Public Market, in Easton. They’re like a cross between a cauliflower and a broccoli and can be cooked as such.

Ingredient

Food ration :

4 people

Cooking time :

1 hour 5 mins

1 head

greens (Swiss chard, beetroot tops, spinach or kale)

250 g

couscous (or any grain, like quinoa, rice, etc)

Cooking instructions

* Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200C.

* Step 2

To prep the romanesco, slice off the base with the outer leaves and set aside. Cut the romanesco into equal sized florets and place in a large roasting dish. Slice the core into equal pieces too and add that to the dish.

* Step 3

Strip the green leaves off their ribs, and chop the ribs into pieces and add to the dish too. Set the leaves aside. They are edible.

* Step 4

Add the chickpeas and all the spices, lemon zest, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix it all together.

* Step 5

Cover with baking paper or foil and put in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until the romanesco is tender. Remove the baking paper for the final 15 minutes or so, so that they become nicely charred.

* Step 6

Meanwhile, roughly chop all the greens and boil or steam in a small pan on the hob until just cooked, then drain (or save the water to soak the couscous)…

* Step 7

Put the couscous in a bowl and just cover with hot water (I used the vegetable cooking water). It’s important you don’t cover with too much water otherwise the couscous gets soggy and unpleasant. Equal amounts couscous to water is about right. Check the packet in case there are alternative instructions.

* Step 8

Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the greens, season and set aside.

* Step 9

Once the romanesco and chickpeas are ready, remove from the oven and squeeze the juice from about half a lemon (maybe a bit more, do it to taste). As you do, use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the delicious spices stuck to the bottom of the dish.

* Step 10

Fluff up the couscous with a fork, then add to the dish along with the greens.

* Step 11

Toss it all together and eat. This would also be good with feta or chunks of grilled halloumi or any fresh cheese. Toasted almonds or nuts would be delicious too.