Spiced chickpeas with fennel and lemony yogurt

Working with The University of Sheffield

Season: AutumnSpringWinter

Fresh organic fennels are making an appearance in many of this week’s veg boxes. Here’s a light, fragrant and nutritious meal idea which carries a welcome hint of winter’s ending. Recipe from Andy Baraghani on www.bonappetit.com.

The beauty of this dish is that you can customise it easily to suit your veg box and your palate. The flavours are quite gentle, so dial up the garlic and spices for the baked chickpeas if you wish. No broccoli or cauliflower? Try brussels sprouts or squash or a root veg such as parsnip or sweet potato (small dice). Not enamoured of raw fennel’s distinctive flavour? Before step 3, saute the fennel slices for a few minutes in a little olive oil to bring out their sweetness. Lemon zest would deepen the tang of the fennel mixture.

Don’t forget our online shop stocks tinned organic chickpeas, organic garlic and organic lemons.

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, finely grated

1½ tsp ground coriander

1½ tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

½ medium head of cauliflower or broccoli (about 300g), broken into large florets, then sliced ¼"/0.6cm thick

1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

¾ cup full fat Greek yogurt or vegan yogurt

4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 medium fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, very thinly sliced crosswise

1 small chilli eg jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)

1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 400F/200C/Gas 6. Mix garlic, coriander, cumin and 3 tbsp oil in a large bowl. Add cauliflower/broccoli and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a baking tray lined with baking parchment. (Wipe out the bowl and set it aside for later.) Bake the chickpeas and veg, tossing halfway through, until everything is golden and veg are tender, 18–22 minutes.

While the chickpeas are baking, toss the sliced fennel, chilli (if using), parsley, sesame seeds and remaining 3 tbsp lemon juice in the reserved bowl; season with salt.

In a small bowl, mix yogurt, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, and a big pinch of salt.

Spread yogurt mixture in serving bowls. Top with spiced chickpea mixture. Scatter fennel salad over, then drizzle with oil. Serve.