Lightly spiced beetroot on earthy lentils all topped off with a zingy and spicy fragrant dressing. I love summer but I also love this time of year with comforting food and warming spices. This is a yummy Middle Eastern flavoured salad all the flavours are already married together and are well tested and enjoyed.

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the Salad

• 1 large beetroot
• 1/2 preserved lemon, roughly chopped
• 4 sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 6 walnuts
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 50g puy lentils, cooked
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Small bag salad leaves

For the Dressing

• 1 tbsp harissa paste, I used ruby
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• Juice of a small orange
• Pinch sea salt

Directions

For the Salad

1. Boil the beetroot in its skin for 40 – 60 minutes or until it’s soft but still has a small amount of bite when tested with a fork. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. In a dry frying pan over a high heat add the walnuts and cumin seeds. Toast until you start to hear the cumin seeds pop. Set the walnuts aside in a small bowl.
3. Once cool enough to handle peel the beetroot and chop into chunks. Add to a bowl along with the preserved lemon, sun-dried tomatoes and toasted cumin seeds, give it a toss to combine.
4. Add the ground cumin and salt to the lentils and give it a stir.

For the Dressing

1. Add all of the ingredients in a bowl or jar. Give it a whisk or shake to combine.

To Assemble

1. Share the salad leaves between the serving bowls.
2. Spoon over the lentils
3. Add the beetroot
4. Drizzle over the dressing
5. Finish off with the walnuts 😊