Ingredients
| GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE | |
| ½ cup pitted green olives | |
| ½ cup capers | |
| 1 cup herbs such as parsley or chives, roughly chopped | |
| 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil | |
| ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice | |
| 1 clove garlic, grated | |
| WHIPPED FETA | |
| 1 cup marinated feta in oil | |
| 1 bunch mint, very finely chopped | |
| 1 bunch chives, very finely chopped | |
| zest of 1 lemon | |
| 3 shallots, very finely diced | |
| PRESERVED LEMON DRESSING | |
| 1½ tablespoons chopped preserved lemon | |
| 1 tablespoon honey | |
| 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard | |
| 25ml chardonnay vinegar | |
| 100ml light olive oil | |
| VEGETABLES | |
| Use a mix of roasted, blanched and raw vegetables. | |
| Roast with salt, pepper, and a splash of vinegar: new season potatoes, beets, turnips, swedes | |
| Blanch: broccolini, asparagus, snap peas, beans, cavolo nero, kale, radish tops | |
| Raw: tomatoes, radishes, cucumber, kohlrabi, herbs, the tops of some of the vegetables | |
| FALAFEL | |
| 2 teaspoons cumin seeds | |
| 2 teaspoons coriander seeds | |
| ½ teaspoon white peppercorns | |
| 125g chickpeas (canned is fine) | |
| 250g frozen peas, thawed | |
| 1 red onion | |
| 1 clove garlic | |
| ½ red chilli | |
| ½ bunch mint | |
| ½ bunch coriander | |
| 1-2 tablespoons flour (you may need a little more depending on your mixture) | |
| 1 teaspoon baking powder | |
| oil, for frying |
This is about getting all the little bits and bobs you can find at the local market or in your garden. You cook them all nicely in their own ways – some roasted, some blanched, some raw – then dress with a sweet and zingy preserved lemon dressing and crunchy falafel, all on top of creamy, rich feta.
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Instructions
| 1. | GREEN OLIVE TAPENADE |
| 2. | Put the green olives, capers and herbs in a food processor and blend. |
| 3. | When it’s all green and chopped to the same size, add the remaining ingredients and stir in. |
| 4. | Set aside and serve at room temperature. |
| 5. | WHIPPED FETA |
| 6. | Drain the feta (reserving the oil) and put into a bowl. |
| 7. | Use a spatula to beat the feta as smooth as you can. |
| 8. | Add the herbs, lemon zest and raw shallot. |
| 9. | Drizzle in a bit of the oil to make it as smooth as possible. |
| 10. | Liberally season with black pepper. |
| 11. | PRESERVED LEMON DRESSING |
| 12. | Mix the chopped lemon, honey and mustard in a bowl. |
| 13. | Slowly add the vinegar and oil and whisk to emulsify, adding a little water while whisking if the dressing is too thick. |
| 14. | Season with salt and pepper. |
| 15. | FALAFEL |
| 16. | Toast the cumin, coriander and peppercorns until fragrant. Cool and grind finely. |
| 17. | Pat dry the chickpeas and peas (this will stop the mix from being too wet). |
| 18. | Put half of the chickpeas and peas into a food processer and pulse until they are chunky. Set aside. |
| 19. | Put the rest of the peas and chickpeas, onion, garlic, chilli, mint and coriander into the food processer and blend. |
| 20. | Once blended, put into a bowl, add the pulsed peas and chickpeas, 1 tablespoon of the flour, spices, baking powder and some salt and fold until mixed. |
| 21. | If the mixture is too wet, add a little more flour. |
| 22. | Fry a spoonful to check that the seasoning is correct and that the mixture holds together. |
| 23. | Take dessertspoons of the mixture and form into balls. |
| 24. | At this stage, the mix can be set aside to fry later. |
| 25. | When ready, deep fry at 180℃ or pan fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes. |
| 26. | TO ASSEMBLE THE SALAD |
| 27. | Smear the feta on a serving plate, allowing it to be thicker in some places so the dressing puddles. |
| 28. | Lay all the vegetables out on a tray or a plate. They can all be at room temperature if you like, or some can be hotter if you prefer. |
| 29. | Season the veges with salt and pepper, then dress with the preserved lemon dressing. |
| 30. | Scatter the vegetables on top of the feta. |
| 31. | Finish with little dollops of tapenade and put the crunchy falafel on top. |
Recipes & food styling Casey McDonald / Photography Florence Charvin