Sauté of chickpea, butternut squash and chard, served with mint yoghurt

Chickpeas
o 70g dried chickpeas
o 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
o 2 tbsp olive oil
o 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
o 1 tsp caraway seeds
o ½ tsp castor sugar
o 1½ tsp ground cumin
o 100g Swiss chard leaves
o Juice of ½ a lemon
o 3 tbsp picked coriander leaves for garnish
o Salt and black pepper

Butternut squash
o 200g butternut squash
o 2 tbsp olive oil
o Salt and pepper

Yoghurt sauce
o 80g Greek yoghurt
o 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
o Juice of 1 lemon
o 3 tbsp olive oil
o 1 tsp dried mint
o Salt and black pepper

Soak the chickpeas in enough cold water to cover them twice. Add the bicarbonate soda and leave for at least 12 hours.

Drain the chickpeas, put in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of fresh water. Bring to the boil and simmer for at least an hour and sometimes up to 90 minutes. The chickpeas should be totally tender but retain their shape. Occasionally you would need to skim the froth off the surface. When ready, drain the chickpeas into a colander and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Peel the butternut squash and cut into 2cm cubes. Put them in a baking tray, drizzle the olive oil on and season with salt and pepper, mix well to coat and roast for 25-30 minutes or until soft.

While cooking the butternut squash, prepare the chickpea sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, caraway seeds, sugar and cumin and fry for 10 minutes, while stirring, until golden brown.

Stir in the chopped chard, and then add the cooked butternut squash and the chickpeas with about 5 tablespoons water. Mix together and cook for another 5 minutes or until hardly any juices are left. Add the lemon juice, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Make the yoghurt sauce by whisking together all of the ingredients. Taste for salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon the warm chickpeas on a serving dish, spoon over a bit of the yoghurt sauce and garnish with coriander leaves.