Part 5: Chickpeas, the little black dress of the kitchen

There's no end to the worldly joys a can of chickpeas offers any time of year. Here are six to celebrate autumn. Coming soon in Part 6: Chickpea chaat, Arroz al horno, Moroccan Harira (lentil, beef and chickpea stew), Roman pasta with chickpeas and more! There's always more!

Catalan Braised Chickpeas with Almonds, Garlic and Tomatoes

serves 4
2 cans of chickpeas, washed and drained
6 tbsp olive oil
1 sm garlic clove, mashed and minced
1 sm yellow or white onion, diced
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and chopped (you can used boxed)
1/4 c vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
2 oz blanched almonds (1/8 lb)

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and fry the onion until it's soft. Add 1 tbsp chopped parsley, the minced garlic clove and tomatoes. Simmer, crushing the tomatoes with the back of the spoon, until you have what looks like sauce. Add veg broth and chickpeas. Simmer 10 minutes.

While that's happening, grind the almonds, pine nuts and garlic into a "pesto" which in this recipe is called "picada."  Stir it into the chickpeas and simmer another 10 minutes. Add a tbsp of veg broth if it looks too dry. Stir in the final tbsp parsley, season with salt and pepper and serve with bread and cheeses.

Kale Chickpea Soup

A Tuscan (Italian) favorite

Serves 4-6

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp fennel seeds

1-2 tsp chili flakes

3-4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp grated ginger

1 c chopped tomatoes (fresh or boxed)

Zest of ½ lemon

2 c cooked/canned chickpeas (drained weight)

1 1/4 lbs kale, shredded

1/4 c orzo pasta (or other small pasta shape)

4 c vegetable/chicken broth

Salt and black pepper

 To serve

Lemon zest

Extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the fennel seeds, chili flakes, garlic and ginger. Cook gently a few minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped tomatoes and the lemon zest and continue to cook until tomatoes have softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the chickpeas, kale and orzo, stirring to blend. Pour in the broth. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Cover and cook until the kale and orzo are soft. Check for seasoning, adding salt and black pepper to taste.

To serve, sprinkle with fresh lemon zest and drizzle with olive oil.

Asian Stir-fry Chickpeas

4 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 c vegetable oil (canola, corn, sunflower, peanut,)
2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp soy or Tamari sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 bunches gai lan (this is Chinese broccoli green), cut into 1" pieces
2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha
juice of 2 limes
1/4 c peanuts (ground)
1/2 c coconut water
1 red chili, minced

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil and stir-fry garlic 2 minutes. Add chickpeas, soy sauce and sugar. Continue to stir-fry until there's no liquid in the pot. Add the gai lan, chili sauce, Sriracha, lime juice, fish sauce, coconut water and minced chili. Stir-fry another 2 minutes just to heat everything evenly.

Spicy Roasted Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup
from Yotam Ottolengthi

Serves 6

1 small pumpkin or butternut squash, cut in half, seeds removed, peeled and flesh cut into bite-size pieces

¼ c olive oil
Salt and black pepper
2-3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom
2½ tbsp harissa paste
½ tsp rose water
4 c vegetable or chicken stock
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
7 dried apricots, thinly sliced
1½ small preserved lemons, cut in half, the flesh discarded and the skin roughly chopped or zest of two lemons
1 tbsp cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 c Greek yogurt

Heat the oven to 425º. Mix the pumpkin with two tbsp of oil, ¼ tsp salt and black pepper. Spread out on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast 25 minutes, until golden-brown and soft. Set aside.

Put 2 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan on a medium-high heat. Once hot, fry the shallots for 8 minutes, stirring a few times, until they are soft and caramelized. Add half the garlic, half the cumin, all the cardamom, a teaspoon of salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Fry 2 minutes, then stir in the harissa, rose water, stock, half the chickpeas, the apricots and the preserved lemon skin. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the roasted pumpkin. Cover to keep warm.

Put two tbsp. oil in a medium frying pan on a high heat and, once hot, add the remaining chickpeas, garlic and cumin, ¼ tsp salt and lots more pepper. Fry 7 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing some of the chickpeas until they are browned and crisp.

Warm the soup through and divide between six bowls. Sprinkle with the chickpea mix, scatter over some cilantro, spoon over the yogurt and serve.

Moroccan style Rice and Chickpea Salad with all kinds of dried fruits
 serves at least 4
1 c rice
1/4 c raisins
2 tbsp currants
3 tbsp brown lentils
1 tbsp split peas
8 dried apricots, chopped
2/3 c cooked chickpeas, drained
4 scallions. chopped
1 cup chopped spinach
1/2 c whole roasted almonds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
For the dressing:
3 tbsp orange juice
1/4 c olive oil
pinch ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp orange flower water
1/4 tsp orange rind

Cook the rice with the raisins, currants, brown lentils and split peas. When it's done, drain excess liquid. Stir in the apricots, chickpeas, scallions, spinach, almonds, salt and pepper to your taste.
Make the dressing by whisking together all ingredients. Pour over the salad. Garnish with cilantro leaves

Uzbek Meat and Chickpea Soup (Mokbora)

1 tbsp veg oil
1/2 lb stewing beef or lamb cut into tiny cubes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 sm onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced into half-moon rings
3 med carrots, diced
1 1/2 c crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups beef broth or water
salt and pepper to your taste
2 med potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" pieces
1 c cooked chickpeas
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

In a heavy gauge casserole pot or Dutch oven, heat oil until it's very hot. Brown the meat on all sides over med/high heat. Reduce heat to medium, sprinkle the cumin over the meat and add the onions and carrots, stirring to blend. Cook until these vegetables start to soften, maybe 4-5 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, blending. Cook over medium/low heat 5 minutes.  Add the water/broth, raise heat to bring it to a boil, then lower heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and simmer 30 minutes. Add the potatoes and chickpeas. Simmer another 20 minutes. Taste for seasonings. Add the parsley and cilantro to serve. Have good flatbread ready!