Buckwheat Salad is a satisfying meal in itself, but it is also a great accompaniment to chicken or fish. The spice blend helps to enhance and bind together the flavours of the other ingredients and to add an international flavour of your choice, depending on which spice blend you choose. You can also substitute buckwheat with freekeh, quinoa, farro or rice if you prefer.
Suggested Go Spice Blends: Kas, Bahia, Saba, Shala
Serves 4
200g buckwheat
250g aubergine, diced
200g red onions, half diced and half thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, skin on and lightly crushed
4 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
3 tsp Go Spice Blend
75g mixture of almonds, pistachios, pine nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds
75ml cooking oil
3 tbsp mix of dried fruit, such as blueberries, barberries, cherries, cranberries, currants or diced dried apricots
for the dressing
juice of 1 medium lemon
5 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
2 tsp Go Spice Blend
for the topping
100g feta cheese, crumbled
seeds of 1 pomegranate
large handful of fresh mint, shredded
Preheat the oven to 200°c/gas mark 6.
Cook the buckwheat in boiling water until tender. Rinse in running cold water and leave to drain in a sieve.
Put the aubergine, diced onion, garlic, olive oil, salt and 3 tsp of the Go Spice Blend in a bowl, and mix well. Spread the aubergine mixture over a baking tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned and softened. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, roast the seeds and nuts on a separate tray in the oven for 5-7 minutes until just browned, then set aside.
Heat the cooking oil in a small saucepan and fry the sliced onion until crisp, it will take about 5 minutes, but watch carefully as it burns easily. Set aside to drain on kitchen paper.
Combine the dressing ingredients. Put the aubergine mixture, nuts and seeds, and dried fruit in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing and transfer to a serving dish. Top with the fried onion, crumbled feta, pomegranate seeds and shredded herbs.
Serve at room temperature.
