North African Beetroot Fennel And Lentil Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Take a small baking dish and mix the oil and the beetroot together. Bake for 1 hour or until tender. Allow to cool. Peel beetroot and chop coarsely.
• Finely chop the fennel until you have 2 heaped teaspoons. Slice the fennel bulb nice and thin.
• Mix all the dressing ingredients together. Use a wide necked bottle or screw top jar for ease. Shake really well!
• Toss the fennel, lentils and rocket in a large bowl with half of the dressing. Slowly add the beetroot and toss gently. Top with the feta cheese and drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Steps:

• If not using pre-cooked lentils, cook the lentils following pack instructions, drain and leave to cool. Meanwhile, combine the mustard, oil and some seasoning to make a dressing.
• Tip the lentils into a bowl, pour over the dressing and mix well. Stir through the beetroot, tarragon and some seasoning, then serve.

Steps:

• Prepare the salad: In a medium pot, add the lentils, garlic and 4 cups water. Season with salt and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until just tender. (The lentils should still have some bite). Drain in a colander and stir to break up and evenly distribute the garlic. Let the lentils cool slightly.
• While the lentils cook, prepare the vinaigrette: In a large serving bowl, whisk the garlic, vinegar, oil, maple syrup and mustard with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• Add the warm lentils to the serving bowl, then add the arugula, herbs and beets. Season with salt and black pepper and toss. Add the Cheddar and toss gently, but don't overdo it because you don't want the cheese to turn crimson from the beets. To serve, top with hazelnuts.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. To make the dukkah, put the macadamias and hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 8 mins or until just golden. Leave to cool, then chop in a food processor and tip into a bowl. Roast the sesame, coriander, cumin and fennel seeds on a separate tray for 5 mins or until golden. Cool, then using a grinder or pestle and mortar, grind to a medium powder with the fenugreek, salt and hot smoked paprika, if using. Add to the ground nuts, mix thoroughly and set aside.
• Increase oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Put the garlic, thyme, cream and soy or salt in a small pan and place over a medium heat to warm through. Remove and set aside.
• Butter a 30 x 20cm ovenproof dish and layer up the vegetables. First put 2 layers of beetroot, then a layer of potato, a scattering of fennel, leek and ginger, and spoon over a little cream mixture. Repeat this process until you have used up all the vegetables and cream, finishing with a layer of beetroot. Press down on the gratin, then cover with foil and bake for 45 mins or until the vegetables are tender.
• Remove foil from the gratin. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and bake for a further 10 mins or until the top begins to brown. Remove gratin from the oven and let stand for about 10 mins.
• Meanwhile, bring a small pan of water to the boil. Boil the eggs for 7 mins, then cool under cold running water, peel and set aside. Keep the pan of water as you will need this later to reheat the eggs.
• To serve, reheat the peeled eggs in boiling water for 1-2 mins, the cut in half lengthways. Cut the beetroot gratin into 6 squares and put a piece on each of 6 plates. Scatter a handful of watercress over each, then carefully position 2 egg halves on top. Sprinkle a generous spoonful of dukkah over each half and drizzle over some extra virgin olive oil.