Grilled zucchini with spiced chickpea salsa and pumpkin seed dressing

Name: Grilled zucchini with spiced chickpea salsa and pumpkin seed dressing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed; 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 4 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 5mm-thick slices; 1 small red onion, thinly sliced; 60g feta, crumbled; 2 small tomatoes, finely chopped; 1/2 bunch rocket leaves; 2 tbs red wine vinegar; 1 garlic clove, crushed; 1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil; 40g pumpkin seeds, toasted, plus extra to serve

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20m

30m

Grilled zucchini with spiced chickpea salsa — Ben Dearnley

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by Anjum Anand

Writer

Feb 16, 2022

“This lovely, light dish started out as a simple zucchini carpaccio on a summer evening when I had some friends coming over." - Anjum Anand

400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
4 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 5mm-thick slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
60g feta, crumbled
2 small tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 bunch rocket leaves

Pumpkin seed dressing

2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/3 cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
40g pumpkin seeds, toasted, plus extra to serve

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 220°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2.

Place chickpeas on the prepared tray, drizzle with olive oil, scatter with cumin, paprika and 1/2 tsp salt flakes and mix well. Roast for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through cooking, until chickpeas are crispy.
3.

Place an oiled chargrill pan over medium heat. In batches, add zucchini in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until charred. Remove from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining zucchini.
4.

For the pumpkin seed dressing, place all ingredients and 1 tbs water in a small food processor and whiz until smooth. Season to taste and set aside.
5.

To assemble, place zucchini on a large serving platter. Scatter over the onion, feta, tomato and chickpeas. Drizzle over dressing and scatter with the rocket and extra pumpkin seeds to serve.

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Recipe Notes

"It has since morphed into a more substantial dish and one that works equally well as a light salad in itself or as a platter to be enjoyed by friends with some more substantial foods. Grilling zucchini slices really adds a lot of flavour to this simple vegetable, and the Indian-inspired chickpea salsa is based upon a roadside chaat, but is fresher. You could also serve this as a type of bruschetta, where the feta is spread first on sourdough, and then layered with the zucchini, red onion, chickpeas, rocket, roasted pumpkin seeds and drizzled with the pumpkin seed dressing.” - Anjum Anand