With my mind already drifting to Autumn flavours, I had to remind myself that it’s still warm outside and there’s an abundance of fresh and local vegetables available in gardens and supermarkets around the country. A reminder to continue to make the most of the wealth of summer produce on our doorsteps, all bursting with flavour and nutrients.
A friend of my parents dropped them up a generous supply of lettuce leaves, scallions and tomatoes, of all shapes, sizes and colours. I snatched a bunch of the scallions and tomatoes and along with some baby potatoes made this tasty salad last week. The dressing is a homemade honey and mustard style dressing that’s easy to make from scratch. If you prefer to buy a ready made one, there are some good brands out there with minimal ingredients. I added crumbled feta because almost everything tastes better with the addition of salty feta cheese. For some added texture, I roasted chickpeas in olive oil, sea salt and black pepper until crispy and added a decent serving of them. Keep any extra in an airtight container in the fridge for a tasty snack.
Keep scrolling for the recipe for this Summer Salad with Feta and Crispy Chickpeas.
Summer Salad with Feta and Crispy Chickpeas
(Serves 2-4)
Ingredients
150g tomatoes (try to get a mixture of colour, shape and size)
5 scallions
300g baby potatoes
50g feta cheese, crumbled
Bunch mixed herbs (e.g. parsley, chives and mint), roughly torn
Juice of half a lemon
1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper
For the dressing
4 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp dijon mustard
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
Start with the crispy chickpeas. Preheat the oven to 220C / gas mark 7. Put the chickpeas and olive oil in a large bowl. Season well with sea salt and black pepper and mix well to ensure the chickpeas are well coated in the oil and seasoning. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
Cook the potatoes in a medium saucepan of water with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender. Remove from the heat, roughly chop and set to one side.
Chop the tomatoes into halves or quarters depending on the size. Trim the scallions and wash them before finely slicing.
To make the dressing, add all the dressing ingredients to a jar and season with sea salt and black pepper. Put the lid on the jar and shake well so that the ingredients mix well.
In a bowl, combine the potatoes, scallions and tomatoes, add half the dressing and toss well. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. Tip onto a serving bowl and top with the crumbled feta, torn herbs and half the crispy chickpeas. Drizzle some more dressing on top and serve the remaining dressing and chickpeas on the side.
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