Chickpea salad with pear and tahini dressing

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g chickpeas
• 2 pear(s), soft
• 1 bell pepper(s), red
• ½ onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 4 tsp sesame paste (tahini)
• 1 lemon(s)
• 3 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 50 g cheese (Manchego)
• 1 handful of walnuts, broken ones too
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 chicory, optional

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour

exotic, vegetarian

Soak the chickpeas in water overnight, or use canned chickpeas; you don’t need to do anything with them. Cook the soaked chickpeas for about 20 minutes until soft, set aside and let cool. Grill the pears with the skin on so they get a nice texture. Add the bell peppers (I sliced ​​both) at the same time. Put both in a bowl with the chickpeas. Thinly slice half an onion and add them. Crush the cumin in a mortar and pestle and fry briefly in a pan without oil. Then pour in a little oil and fry the peeled and chopped garlic until crispy. Add this mixture to the bowl. Now prepare the sauce: mix 4 teaspoons of tahini paste with about 6 tablespoons of water and the juice of the squeezed lemon. If you like, you can also grate in some lemon zest. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and mix everything well. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix again briefly. Pour over the chickpea mixture, stirring gently so the pear slices don’t break. Add another pinch of salt and, if possible, freshly ground black pepper. Top the salad with broadly grated Manchego and a handful of toasted walnuts. The salad is a great starter with the chicory leaves, but it also works well with pita bread or as a side dish to lamb.