How to make quinoa salad with seared squid, arugula and hummus – healthy, hearty but not heavy

I love this salad – it’s hearty but not heavy. It makes great picnic or barbecue fare (although you’ll need to increase the quantity); just pack the elements (hummus, quinoa salad, arugula/rocket and squid) separately and place on plates when it’s time to eat.

Quinoa salad with seared squid, arugula and hummus

Whenever I prepare chickpeas, I start by cooking them in a pressure cooker because it takes much less time than simmering them the conventional way. But with this method, it’s difficult to monitor how soft they get and if the timing is off, they start to break apart, and you can’t peel them as easily. (Peeling them isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes for a smoother texture and it’s not nearly as fiddly as it seems.)

If you use a pressure cooker, cook them only partially, then finish simmering them with the lid off.

Ingredients

For the hummus:

• 200 grams (7 oz) dried chickpeas

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled, divided

• About 80 grams (3 oz) tahini

• About 30ml (2 tbsp) fresh lemon juice

• Fine sea salt, as needed

For the quinoa and salad:

• 100 grams (3½ oz) quinoa

• 15ml (1 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

• About 5ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice

• 25 grams (1 oz) pumpkin seeds

• 25 grams (1 oz) sunflower seeds

• About 100 grams (3½ oz) fresh pomegranate seeds

• 40 grams (1½ oz) arugula/rocket leaves

• 3 or 4 radishes (the small variety with pink or magenta skin and white flesh)

• About six cherry tomatoes, preferably several colours

For the squid:

• 6-8 squid, with bodies (excluding tentacles) about 10cm (4 inches) long

• About 10ml (2 tsp) olive oil

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Paprika, for sprinkling

1 Rinse the chickpeas. If you’re not using a pressure cooker, soak the chickpeas overnight (cover them with about 4cm of water), then drain the next day. With either cooking method, put the chickpeas in the pan and add water to cover them by about 4cm. Add two garlic cloves, then stir in the baking soda. If using a regular pan, bring to the boil over a high flame, then lower the heat, cover with the lid and simmer until the chickpeas are tender but not falling apart (about two hours). If using a pressure cooker, put the lid on the pan and seal it, then bring to maximum pressure over a high flame. Lower the heat and cook at maximum pressure for 30 minutes. Let the pot cool naturally, then remove the lid. Put the pot back on the stove and simmer the chickpeas for about 15 more minutes, or until they are tender but not falling apart.

2 For either cooking method, ladle off about 100ml of the liquid and put it in the fridge. Discard the garlic cloves and cool the chickpeas (and the remaining liquid they are cooked in) to room temperature. Rub the chickpeas (still in the liquid) between the palms of your hands to loosen the skins. Stir the chickpeas and liquid; the skins will float to the surface and can be removed with a slotted spoon. Don’t worry about skinning all of the chickpeas, just get most of them.

3 Drain the chickpeas, then put them in a food processor along with the remaining garlic clove, 80 grams of tahini, 30ml of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of salt. Process until smooth, adding some of the chilled chickpea liquid, if needed. Taste for seasonings and add more tahini, lemon juice or salt, if needed. If the hummus is too thick, mix in more chickpea liquid. Transfer the hummus to a container and set it aside until needed.

4 Prepare the ingredients for the quinoa and salad, but don’t combine them until just before serving. Pour the quinoa into a pan of simmering water and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain the quinoa and put it in a bowl. Immediately mix in 15ml of extra-virgin olive oil, 5ml of fresh lemon juice and salt to taste, then leave to cool. Put the pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in separate pans and bake until lightly toasted in an oven that’s been preheated to 180 degrees Celsius (360 degrees Fahrenheit). Slice the radishes into round discs. Halve the cherry tomatoes.