Zaatar Roasted Veg & Citrus Salad

I’m a big fan of adding fruit to my savory salads and this salad is no exception. You can use any mix of roast vegetables but I like a good balance of starchy and non-starchy veg as it gives a nice contrast of textures. Making this when oranges are at peak season produces a vibrant salad that gives you everything you could want in a complete meal: creaminess of the yogurt, heft of the roasted veg, crunch of the pistachios and punch from the preserved lemon dressing. Serve this salad as a side, but TBH, you could totes eat it on its own.

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Zaatar Roasted Veg and Citrus Salad

Yield: 6-8 as a side

Ingredients

Salad

• Quarter of a kent pumpkin, seeded and sliced into 3cm cubes
• 2 medium red onions, peeled with root intact and cut into quarters
• ½ cauliflower, cut into florets
• 8 small potatoes, cut into halves
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons zaatar
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 2 oranges, peeled and thinly sliced crossways
• Mint and coriander leaves to garnish
• 1/3 cup pistachios, toasted & coarsely chopped

Yoghurt Sauce

• 400g yoghurt
• 2 tablespoons extra olive oil
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 garlic cloves, roasted in their skins
• Salt & pepper to taste

Preserved Lemon Dressing

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ½ preserved lemon, diced finely
• ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
• pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 240C, line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
2. Spread pumpkin, potatoes and garlic cloves with skins on (for the yoghurt sauce) on one baking tray, coat with half the olive oil, zaatar, cumin, salt* and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until just tender but not browned.
3. After the pumpkin and potatoes have roasted for 30 minutes, place the onion and cauliflower on the second tray, coat with the remaining oil, zaatar, cumin, salt and pepper. Place into the oven to cook until all the vegetables are soft and caramelized on the edges.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, combine all the ingredients for the preserved lemon dressing in a small jar or bowl and set aside. At this stage also toast the pistachios until golden, let them cool slightly, shop roughly and set aside.
5. Once the vegetables have roasted, remove the garlic cloves from their skins and place in bowl with a pinch of salt. Using the back of a fork, mash the garlic until a smooth pulp has formed. Add in all the remaining ingredients for the yoghurt sauce, season with salt and pepper and combine well.
6. To assemble the salad, dollop the yoghurt evenly around your platter. Arrange the vegetables in the gaps, overlapping with some of the yoghurt. Go in with the orange slices next, making sure to nestle them in and around your vegetables. Drizzle everything generously with the dressing and finish with a garnish of mint, coriander and toasted pistachios. coriander leaves.

Notes

*Be careful when seasoning the vegetables with salt as some zaatar mixes come with salt already included