Chickpea, cucumber and cumin soup; braised chicked with soured cucumber salad. Recipes serve four
CHICKPEA, CUCUMBER AND CUMIN SOUP
200g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
5 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed with a little salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 cucumbers, trimmed
3 tbsp chopped mint
4 tbsp yogurt
Rinse the chickpeas well, cover with cold water and cook them until they are tender. This will take about 40 minutes if they are not too old, longer if they are. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
Heat the oil and cook the onion for 10 minutes without allowing it to colour. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for a further minute. Add the cooked chickpeas and coat in the oil. Cover with cold water, add the diced potato and cook until it is tender. Puree, and season with salt and pepper.
Coarsely grate the cucumber into a sieve. Just before you serve the soup, add the cucumber to the chickpea mixture, along with the mint. There is no need to reheat the soup; it should be served warm, not piping hot. Stir and serve with a dollop of yogurt.
BRAISED CHICKEN WITH SOURED CUCUMBER SALAD
4 chicken breasts
olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped shallot
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1 lemon, squeezed and roughly chopped
2 cucumbers
1 red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
juice and zest of 2 limes
2 red chillies, trimmed, deseeded and finely sliced
1 tbsp rice vinegar
small bunch coriander leaves
100ml light chicken stock
In a bowl combine the chicken breasts with two tablespoons of olive oil, the shallot, garlic, rosemary and lemon. Season this with pepper and toss so everything is well coated. Cover with clingfilm and set aside, overnight if possible.
Trim the cucumbers and slice as thinly as possible. Combine in a bowl with the remaining ingredients, except the chicken stock.
Heat a shallow casserole dish and when it is hot add two tablespoons of olive oil. Brush the marinade off the chicken. Season it with salt and cook, skin side down, for four minutes. Turn it over when the skin is golden brown, cover and continue to cook over a low heat for a further 10 minutes, or until fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the heat and allow it to rest.
Strain the marinade ingredients through a sieve and add them to the casserole dish, discarding the oil. Saute gently for five minutes and then add the chicken stock. Cook down to a syrupy consistency and serve with the chicken and cucumber salad.