Once you start to whiff a waft of the wonderful garlicky-lemony aroma emanating from the bowl, you’ll want to take a little bathe in it yourself.
The self-saucing element here is the bain-marie bowl of dressing and chickpeas gently warming over the top of the blanching water.
I’ve kept the dressing anchovy-free to accommodate plant-based friends – just skip the parm when finishing. But if you’re looking for permission to add six or so anchovy fillets, along with a good wodge of butter, this is it. If you’d like to triple-down on green veg, feel free to include a medley, such as green beans, asparagus, broccoli, and even raw zucchini.
SERVES 4-6
INGREDIENTS
For the salad
- 3 bunches broccolini, sliced on the bias into
- 3 cm batons
For the self-saucing chickpeas
- 1 lemon
- 400 g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 4 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
- 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- ½ cup (85 g) stuffed green olives, halved
- 1 teaspoon mild chilli flakes
- ½ cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt flakes and freshly ground pepper
For the final bits & bobs
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons fried shallots
METHOD
- To make the self-saucing chickpeas, find a medium saucepan and a metal bowl that comfortably fits over it. Peel the lemon as close to the zest as possible and scrape any pith off the skin with a teaspoon. Cut the lemon into cheeks and reserve for a garnish. Finely slice the peel and put it into the metal bowl with the remaining self-saucing chickpeas ingredients, stirring about to introduce everyone to each other.
- Half-fill the saucepan beneath with well-salted water and heat on medium-low (make sure there’s enough height clearance so the water won’t start bubbling over once the bowl’s on top).
- Place the bowl of chickpea mixture over the top and allow to gently heat together while the water comes to the boil. When the water comes to the boil, remove and set aside the chickpea bowl (taking care as it may be hot), chuck the broccolini into the pan and set the timer for 3–4 minutes (depending on the thickness of your broccolini stems).
- Once the broccolini has cooked, tong it into the chickpea mixture in the bowl, tossing about to get friendly, then transfer to a shallow platter for serving. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Finish with shavings of fresh parmesan, toasted almonds, and the reserved lemon cheeks on the side. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Looking for more delicious inspiration? Images and text from Salad for Days by Alice Zaslavsky, photography by Rochelle Eagle. Murdoch Books RRP $45.00. You can find more of Alice’s work @aliceinframes on Instagram.
This recipe was originally published in the article Salad for Days in The Humble Art of Hope in Issue 38 – The Humble Art of Hope. You can purchase previous issues and enjoy more enchanting content here.
