West or
southwest 5 or 6, becoming variable 4 later.
Slight or
moderate.
Showers at
first.
Moderate or
good.
For someone
who takes cooking seriously, I am awfully unorganized. Take yesterday: You don’t make
Sushi if you have not checked that you have the basics. Like Wasabi. Yes, I
assumed I have Wasabi since I always have Wasabi. But assuming is not good
enough.
Or today. I
set out to do a Middle Eastern chickpea and aubergine salad. Mental check: Yep,
should have everything. “Should” is not have. Sure, I always have chickpeas so
there is no reason to assume I have none. However you don’t have chickpeas if
you have run out this time and not replaced them yet.
So what you
do if everything is already on the way and you need to adjust quickly? Make
something new up. In this case I switched from Chickpeas to a pouch of Red and
White Quinoa, Chilli and Cumin made way to Baharat and I used a new Harissa. A Moroccan inspired Quinoa Aubergine salad.
Honestly,
what kind of stupid nerd has Baharat, Quinoa and different types of Harissa but
no chickpeas when she sets out to make a chickpea salad *grumble, mumble, swears
under breath*.
The recipe
is fairly easy and I was eager to try out the new Harissa which I bought in
France. While I normally swear by the Harissa Le Phare du Cap Bon from Tunisia,
I was curious in regards to the little pot of Samia Harissa.
Some kind of vaguely Moroccan Quinoa warm(ish) Salad
1/2
aubergine, cut into 2cm thick rounds, then into half moons
3 cloves of
garlic, peeled but left whole
1 tbsp Harissa
paste (preferable Le Phare du Cap Bon)
1 tbsp olive
oil
1 pouch Merchant
Gourmet red and white Quinoa (precooked, 250gr)
1 good pinch of
Baharat
1 shallot,
finely sliced
3 slices of Halloumi
Grated zest
and ½ teaspoon of lemon juice
2 tbsp
extra-virgin olive oil
Tiny pinch
of salt
Handful of spinach
leaves or rocket (I had spinach, but can see rocket working as well)
A bit more Harissa
for topping (optional)
1. Preheat
the oven to 190°C/fan170°C/gas 5. Put the aubergines and garlic in a bowl with 1 tbsp
of Harissa and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. Toss well, and leave for few minutes.
Carefully lift out with a slotted spoon, leaving the Harissa mixture behind and
put it into a roasting tin and roast for 20-25 minutes until tender and golden.
Add the Quinoa and the Baharat to the Harissa paste, coat and add to the
roasting tin for the last 4-5 minutes of the cooking time. Turn oven off and
let it cool down slightly with the oven door open.
2.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, pour boiling water over the shallot and set aside for 5
minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water, then set aside.
3. Remove
the roasting tin from the oven and put the contents, plus the onion, in a
serving bowl. Top with the spinach leaves and carefully mix them under. They
will cook ever so slightly without losing their bite.
Heat the 1tsp
of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the Halloumi on both sides
4. Whisk the
lemon zest and lemon juice with the rest of the olive oil and the tiny pinch
of salt (remember Halloumi is quite salty); then pour the dressing over the
contents of the serving bowl. Toss gently, top with the Halloumi and a bit more Harissa
(optional) and serve.
Verdict:
First
attempt:
I took one bite...
I took one bite...
and spat it
out. Inedible, far too salty; and believe me, I can take a lot of salt.
So how can
that be? The ingredients itself are innocent, and I really only took a tiny
pinch of salt.
But then I
looked closer at my new jar of Samia Harissa. They don’t say it exactly, but if
you do the math on the ingredients you realize it has blooming 12% salt. Yep,
50gr of Harissa (and I had probably a bit more since I like it spicy and was
generous with the topping), gives you 6gr of salt. About a full teaspoon. Your
full daily recommended intake in a small and light lunch. Plus the salt from
the dressing and the Halloumi.
It went into
the bin, together with the Harissa and I started again.
Second
attempt:
It was
actually very nice and I was not too angry about the chickpeas anymore. The
toasted Quinoa added a very nice crunch and the Baharat gave it a lovely
oriental undertone which worked brilliant with my good old trusted Harissa. The
grilled aubergines went very well with the spinach leaves and Halloumi
complimented it.
A keeper.
My most Guardianista recipe ever *rolls eyes*
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