Chickpea slice with warm roast vegetable salad

Babiche Martens

Today's unusually flavoured chickpea-based slice is wonderfully versatile and especially good for those of you who are gluten-free. Best eaten fresh, I have simple roasted vegetables to create a pizza effect. Home-made sundried tomato and peppery rocket pesto gives it a refreshing flavour and goes really well with the chickpeas. Of course, you could use a store-bought pesto. I have kept this simple but you may like to add spices to the vegetables while roasting, then drizzle olive oil on the slice at the end. To serve, either cut it into finger-sized pieces or eat a slab, like a pizza. It's a meal in one.

Ingredients

5 cups	Vegetables, for roasting, cut into cubes (Main)
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 cup	Rocket leaves

Pesto

1 cup	Sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 handful	Rocket
½ cup	Olive oil
½ cup	Cashew nuts, raw
½ cup	Parmesan cheese

Base

3 cups	Besan (chickpea flour)
1 tsp	Garlic salt
½ tsp	Salt
3 cups	Water
1 Tbsp	Oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 30 x 40cm Swiss roll tin thoroughly.
2. Roast vegetables on a baking tray for 30 minutes or until golden.
3. To make pesto - place sundried tomatoes, rocket, oil, cashews and parmesan in a food processor. Whizz until combined well. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
4. To make base, place chickpea flour and salts in a large bowl. Slowly add water and oil, stirring while you do - this will stop any lumps. Pour into flat tin. Bake for 15 minutes until set.
5. Spread base with pesto, vegetables and scatter rocket leaves. Cut into pieces and serve.