Yotam Ottolenghi's quinoa and fennel salad recipe

If you've made every possible rice, explored bulgar, think barley is old hat but have not tried quinoa, please do: it is more than anything about the striking texture, which is light, sandy and almost crunchy. The mild, nutty flavour is a wonderful base for other prominent flavours. This salad is a small meal in its own right, but you can fortify it further with nigella or pumpkin seeds, toasted walnuts, goat's cheese and oven-dried tomatoes. Serves four. About 70ml olive oil 3 medium fennel bulbs, thinly sliced 1 tbsp caster sugar 3 tbsp cider vinegar Salt and black pepper 150g quinoa 300g broad beans (fresh or frozen) 1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped 1½ tsp ground cumin 25g chopped mint 25g chopped coriander 25g chopped dill 3 limes Pour 50ml oil into a large sauté pan, add the fennel and cook on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft. Add the sugar, vinegar and some salt, and cook, stirring, for two minutes, then lift from the heat. Pour the quinoa into a pot of boiling water and simmer for eight to 10 minutes. Do not overcook it – taste to make sure it still has some bite. Drain into a fine sieve, run under cold water, shake to remove excess liquid and add to the fennel. Throw the beans into a pot of boiling water, cook for a minute, drain and refresh. Press the beans gently to remove their leathery skins, then stir into the quinoa, along with the chilli, cumin and herbs, and season. Take the limes and, using a small, sharp knife, trim off their tops and tails. Now cut down their sides, along their round curves, to remove the skin and white pith. Over a small bowl, remove the segments from each lime by slicing between the membranes. Squeeze any remaining juice over the segments. Cut each lime segment into three and add it and the juice to the quinoa salad. Add the remaining olive oil and taste, adjusting the seasoning as necessary and possibly adding a little more olive oil if it seems a bit dry. • Yotam Ottolenghi is chef/patron of Ottolenghi in London.