Carrot, chickpea and preserved lemon traybake with herbs

Serves - 4

You’ll need

• 800g carrots, peeled and cut into batons or on the diagonal
• 2 x 400g tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated or crushed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp smoked paprika
• 1–2 pieces preserved lemon, finely chopped
• Small handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Small handful coriander, roughly chopped
• Small handful mint, roughly chopped
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Get the tray loaded up

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Tip the carrots, chickpeas and red onion into a large roasting tray. Add the olive oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and chopped preserved lemon, then season well with salt and black pepper. Give everything a proper toss so the spices and oil are coating the lot rather than clinging to one corner of the tray.

2. Roast until it all looks convincing

Spread everything out into a single layer, then roast for 35–40 minutes, turning once halfway through, until the carrots are tender, the onion has softened and the chickpeas have started catching at the edges. You want good colour here. That is where a fair bit of the flavour comes from.

3. Wake it up with herbs and lemon

Once the tray comes out of the oven, squeeze over the lemon juice while everything is still hot. Scatter over most of the parsley, coriander and mint, then toss gently so the herbs soften slightly and everything gets properly acquainted.

4. Finish and serve

Transfer to a serving dish or take the tray straight to the table if that suits the mood. Scatter over the remaining herbs and serve warm. It is very happy on its own, but also works well with couscous, flatbreads or a spoonable grain if you want to stretch it a bit further.

A couple of helpful notes

- Preserved lemon can vary in strength, so start with 1 piece if you are unsure, then add more next time if you fancy it punchier.
- Do not crowd the tray too much or the chickpeas will soften rather than catch and turn golden. Use 2 trays if needed.
- A handful of toasted almonds or pistachios over the top would work very nicely if you want a bit more crunch.