This is definitely summer food and the kind I love most of all: food that introduces me to new ingredients and ignites my curiosity. Enter dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend comprised of ground hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander and cumin. There are variations to this blend, but that's the combination I stuck with. I'm sure I could have found dukkah at a specialty grocer, but had all the ingredients in hand to make it myself. Combined with the thick yoghurt dressing and roasted veg, it enriches the smokey flavours of the salad and helps make it a meal.
I used herbs from my own patio garden for this recipe. I don't have much of a green thumb, but have trialled herb combinations, soils and pot sizes. Year after year there have been improvements and this year, the plants have taken off. With the success of my herb garden, I've been looking for ways to include herbs not in the original recipes. I added flat leaf parsley to this one for that reason.
If you have nut allergies, the hazelnuts can be substituted for pumpkin seeds. A creamy feta would also be delicious with it. There are lots of opportunities to substitute ingredients if you can't find or can't eat certain items. Of course for the meat lovers, shaved prosciutto would be fantastic overtop.
Donna Hay's website is bookmarked on my laptop. Her recipes are appealing to me regardless of what mood I'm in. I've made comfort food, desserts and healthy entrees from her collection of ideas. Check it out if you're looking for inspiration.
Adapted from: https://www.donnahay.com.au
Serves 4
Ingredients
Dukkah
- 1/3 cup hazelnuts
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 T coriander seeds
- 1 T cumin seeds
- 1 T ground pepper
- 1 t flake salt
Salad
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2, 400ml cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 cup of dried)*
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 t flake salt
- 2 T dukkah
- 1 bunch of radishes, cut in half
- 1 cup of mint leaves
- 1 cup of flat leaf parsley leaves
- 2 avocados
- 1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
- 2 T dill, chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup of water
Method
Dukkah
Preheat oven to 400F. Place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool and then place in a towel. Rub the hazelnuts to remove the skins and set aside.
In a pan on medium heat, toast the sesame seeds until light brown, Remove from the pan and add the coriander and cumin seeds. Heat until they start to pop. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until well ground. The dukkah should keep for several months if well sealed.
Salad
Preheat oven to 425F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and spread the chickpeas and cauliflower over each of the sheets. Drizzle with the olive oil and dukkah and bake for 30 minutes or until the cauliflower has browned on the edges.
Prepare the salad dressing by combining the yoghurt, half of one avocado, dill, lemon juice and water in a blender and mixing until smooth.
To make the salad, distribute the radishes, parley and mint leaves over the cauliflower and chickpeas. Place slices of the remaining one and a half avocados and then the dressing overtop. Season with a little additional salt and pepper and serve immediately.
