Recipe: Lemon chickpea salad

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Lemon chickpea salad. This flavoursome side dish would also be delicious with grilled or barbecued fish or beef.

Serves 8

1/3 cup (80ml) lemon juice
1/2 cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup (200g) dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight, drained
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 small preserved lemons, finely chopped
2 (800g) large eggplant
Olive oil spray
1/2 cup coriander leaves

1. Combine lemon juice, oil, garlic and lemon rind in a screw-top jar. Shake well. Cook chickpeas in a saucepan of boiling salted water, skimming scum from surface, for 50 minutes or until tender. Drain. Rinse in cold water then combine with onion and preserved lemon. Add dressing. Mix well.
2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut eggplant into 2cm-thick rounds. Place on 2 oven trays. Spray with oil. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through, or until golden. Cut each slice into 3 pieces. Add to chickpeas with coriander. Toss gently. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.