Roasted white beans with Caesar-style tahini dressing
Use any crunchy salad leaves you like here, but I particularly love the combination of Gem lettuce and red chicory for the contrast in colour and between the sweeter and more bitter leaves. I love this dressing, so this recipe makes lots – you’ll have extra. Use it as a dip, in a lunch wrap the next day, on roasted cauliflower and broccoli, drizzled over grilled sweet potatoes or tossed through a pasta salad. The croutons are a great way to use up bread that is going stale.
SERVES 2-3 as a main or 4 as a side
• 3 tbsp ghee or olive oil
• 400g tin of white beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp dried thyme or rosemary
• 1 handful of walnuts or pecans
• 1 handful of bread, cut into 1cm chunks
• 1 Little Gem lettuce
• 1 head of red chicory or another Little Gem lettuce
• Sea salt and black pepper
FOR THE TAHINI DRESSING
• 2 anchovy fillets (from a jar or tin)
• 2 tbsp tahini (stirred well in the jar first)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 handful of grated Parmesan or other hard cheese, plus extra to serve
Preheat the oven to fan 220°C/gas mark 9, then place one and a half tablespoons of the ghee in a large roasting tray and pop in
