Fried Cauliflower, Chickpea and Silverbeet Salad

Restaurant: Bodega (NSW)

Recipe from Chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz (appears on Gourmet Traveler website)

2009 Rating: Number 64, 1 Star

During christmas its always tradition to over eat and regret it the next day. This year is no exception. However, I thought I would include a healthy option, so at least there would be one item on the table that was guilt free. Bodega's recipe seems to satisfy this criteria.

Serves 6

INGRDIENTS:

200 gm dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight and drained

500 ml (2 cups) vegetable oil

1 small (about 800gm) cauliflower, cut into florets, stem discarded

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp cumin seeds

5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

400 gm silverbeet leaves, coarsely chopped

1 lemon, juice only

METHOD:

1. Cook chickpeas in boiling salted water for 40 minutes or until tender, then drain and set aside.

2. Heat vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat until a thermometer reads180C. Fry cauliflower in batches for 5 minutes or until golden, remove and drain on absorbent paper.

3. Heat 50ml olive oil in a large frying pan and cook cumin seeds for 2 minutes or until fragrant, then transfer to a bowl. Add remaining olive oil to pan, add garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until golden. Add silverbeet and cook for 5 minutes or until wilted. Add cumin seeds, chickpeas and cauliflower to pan, stir to combine and cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Add lemon juice, season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Did the dish get eaten? or was the temptation of guilty food too much for christmas? Stay tuned for the exciting results!