Hot as in spicy, not hot as in heat. This summer salad is so easy to make. The thing that elevates it above average is the quantity of fresh herbs served on top, the herbs function as salad leaves as well as flavouring. Serves 2 [hungry vegetarians for main course including crusty bread and butter]
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp harissa [out of a jar, or homemade]
Zest and juice of two lemons
2 tins chickpeas, drained
200g feta, crumbled
1 large handful chopped fresh herbs [we used mostly mint, with a little parsley and basil] For the harissa sauce:-
110ml extra virgin olive oil
1 rounded tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 heaped tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp lime juice

First, make the dressing. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl, then pour into a serving jug. I always keep a batch of this in the fridge, in a plastic jar with screw lid. For the salad, sweat the onions in the olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat for about 10 minutes. They should be sweetened and soft, not brown. Add harissa, stir, cook for one minute. Add lemon zest and juice, and chickpeas. Turn up the heat until it bubbles. Take it off the heat, stir through half the cheese. Leave to cool.

When you are ready to serve, top with the remaining feta, and sprinkle with fresh herbs. 5 to remember
la salsa harissa – the harissa sauce
los garbanzos – the chickpeas
picante – hot/spicy
caliente – hot/heat
encima de la media – above average

Salad recipe by Tony Turnbull for the Sunday Times Magazine.

Harissa recipe by Delia Smith from Delia’s Summer Collection. This keeps in the fridge, one batch will cover a couple of meals.