WARM FENNEL, GREENS & CHICKPEA SALAD

Get your greens and legume fix with this warm aniseed flavoured bowl of goodness. Sauteed fennel and a bunch of silverbeet are cooked with chickpeas and bathed in the cooking liquor with a squeeze of lemon juice to bring it all together. It’s equally delicious the next day served at room temperature.

Serves 3-4

1 large fennel bulb

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

400g can chickpeas (or 1 cup cooked chickpeas and ½ cup reserved cooking water)

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 bunch silverbeet, or 1 bunch rapini or spinach, stems finely sliced and leave roughly torn

Juice and finely grated zest of a lemon

50g hard goats cheese, finely grated (or Parmesan)

Trim the fennel bulb stems and reserve the fronds. Cut the bulb in half from top to bottom, then into thin wedges.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Spread the fennel out in a single layer over the pan and cook for about 5 minutes each side until lightly golden and just tender in thickest sections. Add the stems, if using silverbeet and cook for a minute. Pour in the can of chickpeas with the liquid and bring to a simmer. Stir in the salt, torn leaves and lemon juice and cook until wilted. Adjust seasoning to taste with extra salt if needed.

Spoon into a wide shallow serving bowl. Finely grate the lemon zest and cheese over the top. Serve immediately.

 Recipe by Fiona Hammond, Oct 2024.