Roasted JAZZ™ & carrot chickpea salad

Roasted JAZZ™ & carrot chickpea salad

Servings:

JAZZ™ apples always take me somewhere playful, for obvious reasons – and this is a play on a winter root veg salad, with the bonus protein boost of chickpea and sweet-tangy pops of softened apple and Spanish onion. Aquafaba (the liquid in your chickpea tin) behaves like egg whites, fluffing up the tarator for a surprisingly plant-based yet creamy base that makes this even more substantial for a winter lunch or as part of a broader vegan/vego spread. If you want to bulk it out further, use 2 tins of chickpeas. You can buy almonds blanched or blanch your own by covering with water in a small pot ans boiling until the skins slip off easily - 5 minutes should do it. Drain and cool and pop almonds out of the skins. If you’d prefer not to fuss about with blanching, just leave the skins on! JAZZ™’s refreshing crispness is perfect for the topping too, an apple and currant ‘riff’, because it’s a play on a simple apple salad using a Japanese julienne slicer for easy texture.

Instructions

Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Trim the carrot tops (if they’re Dutchies, reserve the tops for pesto later) and slice in half lengthways, or quarter for thicker carrots.
Toss the carrots, apple and onion wedges, and drained chickpeas with the olive oil and zaatar (and salt if needed) and transfer onto the prepared tray, then whack into the oven and crank the heat to 200℃ (180℃ fan) for 35-45 minutes until the carrots are starting to soften and scorch, the apples and onions have collapsed and the chickpeas are golden.
To make the tarator, add the almonds, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper to a blender with ½ cup of the aquafaba (the liquid you reserved from the chickpea tin) and blitz to a fine, fluffy consistency. Taste for seasoning and splash in more aquafaba if needed.
Make the apple and currant riff, shred the apple on a mandolin or finely slice to matchsticks, then combine with the pomegranate molasses, currants, olives, chilli, parsley, chives and coriander together in a small bowl to macerate.
When the roasting fruit and veg is ready, spread the tarator across a shallow platter and layer the roasted carrots, apples, onions and chickpeas over the top, dressing with the riff.
Serve warm or at room temperature.