Souvlaki with oven roasted sweet potato and homemade hummus

Salad days, am not a fan, there I have said it. It’s not that I don’t like salad per se, it’s boring salad, it has to be full of something other than lettuce, tomato and cucumber and it has to stay in my salad drawer for at least a week before going manky. If it has to be boring it has to be smothered with some kind of lush dressing or accompanying a good side. This is a salad I can get behind.

I don’t do recipe’s much either, I cook from the heart rather than a weighing scale and provide a list of ingredients and a bit of guidance on how long it takes. Other than that you are on your own. this one is simples.

Here goes

Roast sweet potato, obvs do these first, wash roughly under the tap, dry, rub with olive oil and sea salt roast at 200C just above the middle of a preheated oven for 30-40 mins depending on the size, stick a knife in periodically if it goes in easy its cooked.

Hummus While the sweet potato is roasting make the hummus with one jar of chickpeas (garbanzos), drained and save a handful to put on top, you could save more and roast them alongside the potatoes they give a nice bit of crunch. Once drained add a crushed clove of garlic, a squirty of lemon juice, a glug of olive oil, a scrunch of sea salt from a salt mill or a pinch depending on what you use and a good dollop of tahini (available in most supermarkets these days). Whizz up with a stick blender or in a fancy pants blender if you have one. I can’t be doing with the jug blenders they take far to much cleaning, my stick blender swishes in the hot soapy water and goes back in the drawer lickety split. I much prefer homemade hummus and it really does only take a very short time to prep but you can just buy it ready made from Tescos or wherever. Once I have made it I put in a fancy bowl swirl the top with olive oil and the reserved chickpeas or crunchy chickpeas and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Chill until you serve.

Souvlaki Chicken Thin chicken fillets seasoned with souvlaki seasoning (mine came from Lidl) pan fried until cooked through, ten minutes tops (?) cut one in half if its not pink its done

Salad veg, you choose, fill a third of your plate (put any over in a container and fridge)

Serve I divide my plate into thirds and do chicken, salad and potato, split the potato, rough up the flesh with a fork, spoon the hummus on top and serve with warm pitta., Voila done.

Prep time twenty minutes, Cook time in the oven 30-40, Cook time on the hob 10 mins but it all runs consecutively so from start to plating up about 45mins with just twenty labour and when you are making it for lunch which is the warmest time of the day that’s just about my limit. Darren didn’t have to wait long at all he has hardly taken any of that beverage which might be Guiness zero (if you’ve not tried you must)