The Guardian
Nargisse Benkabbou
Four fragrant and satisfying salads of roast red peppers, preserved lemon, crisp harissa chickpeas, and zesty carrot and cucumber.
Artichoke, green peas and preserved lemon salad (pictured above)
Prep 15-20 min
Cook 10 min
Serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 small preserved lemons, flesh and rind finely chopped
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground ginger
200g frozen green peas
2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
Salt
1 generous pinch ground black pepper
200g jar drained precooked artichokes roughly chopped
60g drained kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, preserved lemon, turmeric and ground ginger, and fry, stirring, for a minute, until the oil is fragrant.
Add the peas and coriander, season and give everything a good stir. Cover the pan and leave until the peas are fully cooked – about four minutes.
Mix in the artichokes and olives, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve warm or cold.
Roast red pepper, preserved lemon and butter beans
Prep 10 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
4 red peppers
1 x 400g can butter beans, rinsed and drained
For the dressing
2 small preserved lemons (60g), flesh and rind finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt, or more to taste
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
1½ tbsp lemon juice
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Line a roasting tin with foil and lay the peppers on top. Roast for about 40 minutes, flipping them over once halfway, until the skins start to look wrinkly.
Remove from the oven, tip into a large bowl, cover and leave until cool enough to handle. They may release some liquid in the process – drain and discard it. Peel off and discard the skins, cut the peppers open, then remove and discard the cores and seeds. Cut the flesh into 1cm-wide strips.
Mix all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl.
Toss the pepper strips, butter beans and dressing in a large bowl, taste and adjust the seasoning, and add more salt, if necessary. Serve at room temperature.
Crispy harissa chickpea caesar salad
Prep 10 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4
For the harissa chickpeas
500g drained tinned chickpeas
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp harissa
For the caesar dressing
125g Greek yoghurt
4 tbsp mayonnaise
20g parmesan, coarsely grated or finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
1½ tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dijon mustard
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the salad
100g romaine lettuce, leaves separated and roughly chopped
100g baby kale, roughly chopped
1 handful cherry tomatoes, halved
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and line a roasting tray with baking paper. Rinse and drain the chickpeas, and pat them dry with a tea towel or kitchen paper.
Put the chickpeas, oil and harissa in a large bowl and mix with your hands until all the chickpeas are coated. Transfer to the lined tray and roast for 35-40 minutes, giving the chickpeas a good stir every now and then, until baked and crisp.
Meanwhile, mix all the dressing ingredients and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
To serve, toss the lettuce and baby kale in a large bowl, add the tomatoes, chickpeas and boiled egg halves, then drizzle over the dressing, toss briefly and serve immediately.
Carrot and cucumber with orange, thyme and black olives
Prep 25 min
Serves 6
5 oranges, peeled and segmented
3 large carrots (200g), topped, tailed, peeled
1 large cucumber (500g), peeled
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp lemon juice
150g black olives, drained, pitted and roughly chopped
80g shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
Sea salt flakes
Peel and segment the oranges, then refrigerate until ready to use.
Using a vegetable peeler, cut the carrots lengthways into wide ribbons. Repeat with the cucumber, except, when you reach the seeds, turn the cucumber 45 degrees and repeat on the other sides. Discard the seedy core and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, thyme and lemon juice, until smooth.
Just before you are ready to serve, toss the orange segments, carrot and cucumber ribbons, olives, walnuts and dressing in a large bowl. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt flakes and serve immediately.
• Nargisse Benkabbou’s book, Casablanca: My Moroccan Food, is published by Octopus at £20. To order a copy for £17.60, go to guardianbookshop.com, or call 0330 333 6846. Go to her website, mymoroccanfood.com, for more recipes.
