Creamy Green Cannellini and Tahini Salad Bowl

Ingredients

For the pitta breads

This makes six pitta breads; any leftovers freeze well. You can use store-bought pittas if you prefer.

• 2 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 300g/10½oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 50g/1¾oz wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for oiling

For the green cannellini

• 1 round white or brown pitta (approx. 100g/3½oz), pocket opened and torn into 2–3cm pieces
• 1 tbsp za’atar
• 75ml/2½fl oz olive oil
• 3 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained
• 30g/1oz parsley, roughly chopped
• 30g/1oz fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 30g/1oz chives, roughly chopped
• 1¼ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2½ tbsp lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the tahini sauce

• 80g/3oz tahini
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

For the chilli oil

• 2½ tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• ¼ tsp paprika

Method

1. If making pittas from scratch, start here. Pour 240ml lukewarm water into a small bowl, sprinkle over the yeast and sugar, and leave for 5–6 minutes until foamy. If using store-bought pittas, skip to step 7.

2. Place both flours and the salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Mix on low to combine, then add the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Mix on medium-high for about 7 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly sticky. Transfer to a well-oiled large bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size. Alternatively, cover and prove overnight in the fridge.

3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into six 100g pieces. Shape each into a round ball, cover with a damp tea towel and rest for 20 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to its highest setting (around 260°C/240°C Fan/Gas 10) and place a large baking tray inside to heat.

5. Cut two pieces of baking parchment to fit your tray and dust them lightly with flour. Place two dough balls on one sheet, rolled out to roughly 12cm diameter with a lightly floured rolling pin. Be gentle — don’t overwork the dough or it won’t puff. Transfer the paper and rounds to the hot tray and bake 4–5 minutes until puffed and lightly golden. Transfer baked pittas to a clean damp tea towel to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining dough until you have six pittas. Keep covered until serving.

6. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C/180°C Fan/Gas 6. Toss the torn pitta pieces with the za’atar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, ¼ tsp salt and a grind of black pepper. Spread them in a single layer on a parchment-lined tray and bake for about 12 minutes, tossing halfway, until golden and crisp. Set aside to cool.

7. Reserve 100g of the drained beans in a medium bowl. Place the remaining beans in a saucepan with 600ml water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until the beans are softened and warmed through. Keep them warm on low heat until needed.

8. Make the tahini sauce by whisking the tahini, 1½ tbsp lemon juice, crushed garlic, 70ml water and ½ tsp salt in a bowl until smooth and pourable. The sauce will thicken as it rests; add a splash more water if needed to loosen it before serving.

9. For the chilli oil, warm 2½ tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat with the chilli flakes for about 4 minutes. Stir in the paprika, remove from the heat and set aside to infuse.

10. Place the reserved 100g of beans in a food processor with the parsley, coriander, chives, crushed cumin, garlic, 2½ tbsp lemon juice, the remaining olive oil, ¼ tsp salt and a good grind of pepper. Blend until smooth, then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

11. Drain the warm beans from the pan, reserving their cooking liquid. Add the warm beans and about 100ml of the cooking liquid to the blended herb mixture and mix well. The final texture should be saucy but not watery; add a little more cooking liquid if necessary.

12. To serve, spread the green cannellini on a large lipped platter. Drizzle over half the tahini sauce and all the chilli oil, then sprinkle with half the crisped pitta. Serve warm, with the remaining tahini and extra pitta on the side.