I am back to enjoying recipes from Honey and Co, well I never stopped, I just became too tired to cook, explore and experiment. My hairdresser is opposite Honey and Spice on Warren Street and I often wander in their before or after my appointment for a nosey around to see what’s new and remind myself of of things past and glorious.

On this particular Saturday the shop was selling a delicious looking chickpea salad. I didn’t want to buy it because I wanted to get back home but I made a note of the recipe from the book (at home: Middle Eastern recipes from our kitchen) that the salesperson in the shop showed me.

Fairly easy to make and I enjoyed roasting the peppers!

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The result? Some intense flavours to work through – very lemony and cuminy.

Definitely one to try again and adjust to suite my palate.

Ingredients

2 tins of cooked chickpeas

5 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt🧂

2 tablespoons of ground cumin

4 garlic cloves 🧄, peeled and crushed

1 1/4 cups/200 grams/7oz cherry tomatoes

4 – 5 sprigs of thyme

A pinch of sugar

3 red Romano peppers

1 bunch of parsley 🌿 , leaves picked

2/3 cup/60g Kalamata black olives pitted and sliced

Juice of 2 lemons 🍋

Instructions

1. Drain the chickpeas well, then place in a pan of fresh water and bring to the boil.

2. Drain the boiled chickpeas and while they are still hot season with two tablespoons of the olive oil, the salt, half the cumin and one of the crushed garlic cloves (keep the rest for later). Mix well, tip into a large serving bowl and leave to cool.

3. Place the cherry tomatoes in a frying pan with the remaining three tablespoons of olive oil, the thyme sprigs and the three other garlic cloves. Fry on a high heat until the tomatoes start exploding, then sprinkle the sugar. Remove the garlic cloves and thyme sprigs and pour the the tomatoes and oil onto the chickpeas.

4. Roast the peppers in a very hot oven (240oC/220oC fan/475oF gas mark 9) or directly over a gas flame until they are charred all over. Place them in a sealable plastic bag or closed container to steam as they cool. When they are cool enough to handle, peel, deseed and tear into long strips. Add to the chickpeas and tomato bowl.

5. Finally, just before serving, add the parsley, olives, the remaining tablespoon of ground cumin and the lemon juice. Mix well and serve.

Reference: At home: Middle Eastern recipes from our kitchen, Honey & Co, page 210