Salad with Chickpeas, Black Salsify, and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

• 300 g chickpeas (drained weight; canned)
• 4 shallots
• 250 g Cherry Tomatoes
• 55 ml olive oil
• Salt
• black pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 Sweet potatoes
• 3 black salsify roots
• 0.5 lemon (juice)
• 1 handful baby spinach
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp Mustard
• 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp sugar
• 480 g chicken breast fillets (8 pieces about 60 g each)
• 2 tbsp Rapeseed oil
• lemon wedges (for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Rinse the chickpeas in a sieve and drain them. Peel the shallots and slice them into thin slivers. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot, sauté the shallots until translucent. Add the tomatoes and simmer at low heat for 5 minutes while stirring. Add the chickpeas, season with salt and pepper, and let cool.

2. 2.

   Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them. Wash and peel the black salsify; gloves are recommended to avoid staining from its milky sap. Cut the salsify into sections and soak in lemon water until further use. Rinse the spinach and dry it by spinning. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and fry the sweet potato slices for about 6–8 minutes on all sides. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin, then let cool.

3. 3.

   Whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, mustard, cumin, and sugar to make a dressing; season with salt and pepper. Boil the black salsify in salted water for about 6–8 minutes, shock in ice water, and drain.

4. 4.

   Arrange the chickpeas and tomatoes as a bed in bowls. Distribute sweet potatoes, black salsify, and spinach on top. Wash, pat dry, and sear the chicken fillets in hot rapeseed oil for about 3 minutes per side. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the dressing over the salads, serve the chicken fillets alongside, and garnish with lemon wedges.