I found a recipe that I am super inspired by. It’s by Yotam Ottolenghi, published in this month’s issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Yotam is an Israeli-born chef who is renowned for his treatment of vegetables. He has several take-out shops in London. Some of the photographs of his food look a lot like food that I make and eat a lot. The cover image looks a lot like the vegetable quiche that I make whenever I get the chance.

It’s really exciting to find someone who works with ingredients in a way that I can relate to but has a different perspective. The recipe that follows uses the flavours of vegetables and spice in a bold way while maintaining a light touch that lets them shine. It is delicious freshly made or the next day for lunch. It’s also amazingly filling because of the quinoa. Brilliant!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 medium fennel bulbs sliced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 1 lemon
• 1 serrano chile, seeded, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

1. Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, flipping occasionally, until the fennel is golden brown and just tender. (~10-12 min.) Stir in the lemon juice, cumin and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Bring quinoa and 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, turn to low and simmer for about 10 min. Drain then leave in the pot covered for about 15 min. Fluff the quinoa and transfer to a large bowl.
3. With a small knife, cut all the peel and pith from the lemon. Cut the juicy segments out from the membranes and remove any seeds. Roughly chop.
4. Combine all the prepared ingredients with the herbs, pomegranate seeds, chile and oil and toss. Enjoy!