Chickpea, roast shallot & feta salad

Chickpea, Roast Shallot & Feta Salad – Fresh and filling, if ‘satisfying’ and ‘salad’ aren’t two words you’d put together, this is the dish for you.

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

You’ll need:

• 12 Shallots, peeled & cut in half
• 2 cloves garlic, whole & unpeeled
• 25g butter, cut into small dice
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 200g feta cheese, crumbled
• 100g soft round lettuce

for the dressing:

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Method

1. Place the shallots in a roasting tin, cut side up and dot with the butter and a grind of salt and pepper. Add the unpeeled whole garlic cloves to the tin and roast in the oven at 200°C/gas mark 6 for 15 minutes until the onions are soft and golden.
2. When the onions are cooked remove them to a plate whilst you make the dressing in the roasting tin. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and mash it up with a fork. Add the oil, vinegar and honey and using a small whisk combine with the mashed roast garlic, scraping the bottom of the tin to get off all the caramelized shallot juices. Add the chopped parsley and taste, adding more seasoning if necessary.
3. Add the chickpeas to the tin and toss to coat in the dressing.
4. In a serving dish arrange the lettuce with the roast shallots and pour over the chickpeas and dressing. Top with the crumbled feta and serve immediately.

Courtesy of www.UKShallot.com