This beautifully fragrant plate of roasted chickpeas and tomatoes infused with saffron is inspired by ingredients I picked up at Marché Forville which is positioned at the at the bottom of the Le Suquet district in Cannes just a stone’s throw from the Old Port. The market itself is very traditional and focused entirely on local seasonal produce such as – in the Provençal early spring – sweet tomatoes, crunchy breakfast radishes complete with peppery leaves, white and green asparagus, fresh white cheeses and curds, many varieties of artichokes, courgette flowers for stuffing and early soft herbs. I like to prep this a day in advance to allow time for the saffron to do it’s magic. The resulting broth is golden and so warming against the chill of early spring evenings.

Ingredients

500g cherry tomatoes
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp fennel seeds
A large jar of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Generous pinch of saffron
Fromage pur chèvre fermier frais or 1 ball mozzarella di bufala Campana DOP or Julienne Bruno’s plant-based superstraccia
Half a lemon, juiced
15g fresh dill fronds, to serve
1 spring onion, finely sliced, to serve
Espelette chilli pepper PDO, to serve, to serve
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground mixed peppercorns

How I make it

Heat an oven to 180C.

Place the tomatoes on a medium baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the fennel seeds and season to your taste. Roast for around 10 minutes until the tomatoes are just starting to soften and burst. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the the saffron in a heatproof bowl and cover with 100ml boiling water. Set aside to infuse for an hour or so.

Add the chickpeas to the roasted tomatoes and pour over the saffron water. Mix together and set aside.

When you’re ready to eat, heat an oven to 180C. Drizzle the tomatoes and chickpeas with a little more olive oil and check the seasoning. 

Place in the oven and roast for around 15 minutes until the chickpeas are golden and the edges of the tomatoes are beginning to char. Remove the tray from the oven and carefully transfer to a serving platter. Set aside to cool for around 10 minutes.

Spoon the curds or tear the mozzarella over the top, drizzle with more olive oil, squeeze over the lemon juice and garnish with the spring onions, dill fronds and pepper.

Serve with a bowl of warm bread or freshly baked socca and a glass of chilled Côtes de Provence.