Chickpea Salad with Feta, Cucumber and Chili

I first had a version of this protein-packed salad on a flight out of Athens a decade ago - it’s not often I am inspired by airplane food but I loved this fresh yet satisfying salad that’s ready in minutes.

Chickpea Salad with Feta, Cucumber and Chili

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas

• 1 small or half an English cucumber, diced

• 200g of feta cheese, diced into similarly-sized cubes

• 1 chili pepper, deseeded and chopped

• 1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar

• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

• Squeeze of lemon

• Coriander or mint leaves

• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Gently heat the chickpeas in a pan so that they are warm. Drain and transfer to a bowl. Dress with the vinegar, olive oil, chopped chili and season. Leave to sit sit for 10 minutes so that the chickpeas absorb the dressing.

• Once cooled, gently toss in the diced cucumber and feta. Spritz with the lemon juice, toss and season to taste. Garnish with coriander leaves or even mint and serve immediately.