Seared Veg with Hummus and Dukka

1 Hispi cabbage
8–12 young onions, or large spring onions, or baby leeks
4–6 small courgettes

Hummus

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 250g cooked chickpeas or split peas)
150–200g cooked beetroot or carrot (optional)
1 tbsp nut butter
Zest and juice of (up to) 1 lemon
A scrap of garlic, grated
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Dukka

30g hazelnuts, roughly bashed
30g pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds or a mix
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch of chilli flakes
Sprig of fresh mint, chopped

Dressing

Olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hummus method

• Put the drained chickpeas into a food processor with the nut butter, lemon zest and juice of half the lemon, garlic, a pinch of salt
and a twist of pepper. Blitz to a coarse puree, then keep blending, trickling in the olive oil. If necessary, trickle in a little water too, to achieve a loose, spoon-able texture. Season to taste, adding an extra squeeze of lemon.

Dukka method

• Set a small, heavy-based frying pan on the Vulcanus® to pre-heat for a few minutes. Add the nuts and pumpkin/sunflower seeds to the pan and toast them for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan regularly so they get toasted and start to colour a bit.

• While the seeds and nuts are toasting, lightly crush all the spice seeds using a pestle and mortar – breaking rather than grinding the spices; leaving a few whole seeds is fine.

• Add these to the pan of nuts and seeds, along with the salt, pepper and chilli flakes.

• Continue to heat for 2–3 minutes, moving or turning the mix now and then – you’re toasting the nuts and spices, almost-but-not-quite burning them (and beware, the small seeds/spices burn quite easily). When done, tip onto a plate and set aside to cool.

Seared veg method

• Slice the cabbages lengthways into six or eight wedges, cut larger onions in half lengthways – regular spring onions can be left whole. Slice the courgettes lengthways into 3 or 4 slices, 2–3mm thick.

• Lay the veg down onto the (pre-heated) Vulcanus® grill.

• Turn vegetables when slightly charred (keeping the stalky edges of the cabbage nearer to the fire as they’ll need a bit more heat to cook through).

• You can make the dukka on the Vulcanus® as above while the veg is cooking.

• Create the dressing in the serving platter by trickling the olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice onto the serving dish and seasoning with a few slithers of garlic, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper.

• Remove the veg from the grill once cooked and place on top of the dressing on the serving platter, tossing well.

• Finish with a final trickle of olive oil, sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon.

• Generously dab hummus onto the platter of grilled vegetables.

• Once the dukka is cooled, stir in the ribboned mint, sprinkle generously over the platter of hummus-dressed veg and serve.