Recipe of the week: Roast tomatoes, fennel and chickpeas with preserved lemons and honey
It might seem a hassle to roast the fennel and tomatoes separately, but it does make things easier when you come to assemble this, as each element stays intact and keeps its shape. You can use flat-leaf parsley or mint leaves instead of coriander in the dressing, or extend the dish by adding salad leaves (rocket, watercress or baby spinach) if you like, though then you'll need to make a bit more dressing. You can make all the elements ahead of time. Serve with saffron couscous, it's a great contrast in both colour and texture.
Serves 6
For the tomatoes 10 large plum tomatoes
3tbs regular olive oil
1tbs balsamic vinegar
1½tbs harissa
2tsps caster sugar
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
For the fennel 2 large fennel bulbs
Juice of ½ lemon
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½tsp fennel seeds, coarsely crushed in a mortar
Generous pinch of chilli flakes
2½tbs extra virgin olive oil
400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
For the dressing 2 small preserved lemons
2tsp juice from the lemon jar
2tbs white wine vinegar
1½tbs runny honey
5tbs extra virgin olive oil
4tbs chopped coriander
Preheat the oven to 190°C. Halve the tomatoes lengthways and lay in a single layer in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Mix the regular olive oil, balsamic vinegar and harissa and pour this over the tomatoes, tossing to coat well, then turn the tomatoes cut sides up. Sprinkle with the sugar and season.
Quarter the fennel bulbs, cut off the stalks and remove any coarse outer leaves. Pull off any tender fronds (reserve these) and cut each piece of fennel into 2.5cm thick wedges, keeping them intact at the base. Toss in a bowl with the lemon juice (it stops them discolouring). Add the garlic, fennel seeds, chilli and extra virgin olive oil, then season and turn everything over with your hands. Spread out the fennel in a second roasting tin and cover tightly with foil.
Put both trays in the oven. Roast the fennel for 25-30 minutes, until tender (the undersides should be pale gold), then remove the foil and roast for another 5-10 minutes, or until soft, golden and slightly charred. Roast the tomatoes for 35-40 minutes, or until caramelised in patches and slightly shrunken. Stir the chickpeas into the fennel and taste for seasoning. Leave both to cool to room temperature.
Now make the dressing. Discard the flesh from the preserved lemons and cut the rind into dice. Whisk the preserved lemon juice with the wine vinegar, honey and extra virgin olive oil, season and add the lemon rind and coriander. Taste for seasoning and sweet-sour balance.
Arrange the fennel, chickpeas and tomatoes on a platter, adding the juices from the roasting tins; there might be quite a bit from the tomatoes. Scatter any fennel fronds you reserved over the top. Spoon on the dressing.
Recipe taken from How To Eat a Peach by Diana Henry
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