Pic of Parsnip, apple and chickpea salad with walnuts and blue cheese

Parsnip, apple and chickpea salad with walnuts and blue cheese

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Vegetarian mains

Parsnip, apple and chickpea salad with walnuts and blue cheese

Main Serves 2 40 min
The end of summer need not denote the end of salads. The parsnips are naturally sweet, a trait emphasised by roasting. The chickpeas add a neutral protein element – if you try this again some cooked dark lentils or haricot beans would work well too. The whole lot is lifted by a sharp dressing and the salty, savoury tang of the cheese.

Cook's notes

Our salad pack leaves change through the season but always carry a balance of the sweet, peppery and bitter.

Ingredients

  • 500g parsnips
  • oil for roasting, e.g. sunflower or light olive
  • 1 tin chickpeas
  • 50g salad leaves
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • olive oil
  • 2 apples
  • 80g perl las blue cheese
  • 60g walnuts
  • salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 5 min
Cooking time: 35 min

  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Wash and peel the parsnips. Cut them into equally sized, chunky batons. Place them in the roasting tray, season with salt and pepper, coat with a little oil.

  • Step 2

    Roast them in the oven for 30-35 minutes, until tender and starting to colour. Give them a shake and turn half way through. Meanwhile, drain and rinse the tinned chickpeas. Break them up a little with your fingertips, not into a mush but into coarse pieces.

  • Step 3

    Leave to drain in a sieve. Wash, drain and dry the salad leaves. Peel and very finely chop or crush the garlic clove. Put the garlic into a large mixing bowl and add the mustard, vinegar, cumin and honey. Whisk together until everything is emulsified.

  • Step 4

    Slowly whisk in 4 tablespoons of olive oil, bit by bit until you have a well-combined dressing. Taste and season well with salt and pepper. It should be sweet, sharp and have a slight heat from the raw garlic. Wash the apples, cut them into quarter's and cut away the core.

  • Step 5

    Chop into 1cm dice and add to dressing – the vinegar will stop the apple from browning. When the parsnips have roasted, let them cool for 5 minutes before adding them to the dressing bowl, along with the chickpeas and salad leaves.

  • Step 6

    Turn together gently until everything is well coated. Check the seasoning and add more if needed. Divide the mix between 2 plates, crumble over the blue cheese and the walnuts.