Roasted Zucchini, Crispy Pitta and Beans Recipe

Jessica Prescott says: “This salad combines silky roasted zucchini (courgette) and soft cannellini beans with crispy pitta croutons, pine nuts and salty feta. The sweet, creamy and tangy dressing pulls everything together, while the pop of colour from the parsley and pomegranate seeds elevates the entire dish.”

Ingredients

Lemon tahini yoghurt dressing. Makes 300 ml (10 fl oz)

½ cup (125 g/ 4½ oz) Greek yoghurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ garlic clove, microplaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon very finely chopped pickles
1 tablespoon very finely chopped sultanas
½ teaspoon salt

Salad

2 zucchini (courgettes) sliced into ½ cm (¼ in) rounds
1⁄3 cup (80 ml/2½ fl oz) olive oil
1 garlic clove, ½ minced
4 x pitta breads
3 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 handfuls rocket, roughly chopped
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
100 g (3½ oz) feta
30 g (1 oz) pine nuts, toasted
handful pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method

To make the dressing, combine the yoghurt, tahini, honey or maple, lemon juice, lemon zest and garlic in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

Add the oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Add the pickles and sultanas and stir.

Transfer to a glass jar and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes. Stir well before using. Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

To make the salad, start by preheating the oven to 200–220˚C (390–430˚F).

Combine the zucchini with 2 teaspoons of the olive oil, the minced garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Spread on a baking tray in an even layer and bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Once cooked, leave on the tray to cool for 10 minutes. Leave the oven on to cook the pitta breads.

Rub the pittas with the unminced garlic and cut into 2 cm (3/4 in) squares. Toss with the remaining olive oil and a generous pinch of salt, and spread on a baking tray. Bake for 5–10 minutes, keeping an eye on them and giving them a toss when the edges of the squares start to turn brown.

Combine the beans with two-thirds of the dressing and set aside.

To build the salad, place most of the rocket in the bottom of a serving dish. Add the pitta squares, then top with most of the beans. Add the zucchini, remaining beans and remaining rocket, then drizzle with the rest of the dressing.

Top with feta, pine nuts and pomegranate seeds, if using.

Extracted from Epic Salads by Jessica Prescott. Published by Hardie Grant Books

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