Part 8: Chickpeas, winter warmth and glamour

This is when I normally post the annual Lucky peas recipe or recipes because eating black-eyed peas on the first day of the New Year is supposed to bring wealth and other good fortune in the year ahead. You can dig back to late Decembers past to find the recipes because right now I want to share some really awesome chickpea recipes from all over the world that will warm your kitchen, your body and your heart.  These are tasty, colorful and absolutely yummy to the max. Some are also quite gala, in case you are celebrating New Year's Day or Epiphany on January 6 or a birthday or whatever you want to fete.

Chickpea, Frisee and Fish Salad

Look at that photo and ask yourself if there's a more colorful, mouthwatering, exotic winter salad to bring to the table right now. It's lunch, brunch perfection. You can use what fish you prefer: sardines, jarred or canned tuna, roasted salmon, smoked whitefish or, as I did in this pic, smoked mackerel broken into bits.

Serves 4

¼ c olive oil

2 tsp harissa

2½ tbsp lemon juice

Salt and black pepper

½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced in thin rings

4 large eggs

1 medium frisee, trimmed, leaves separated and cut into bite size pieces

2 tins of sardines in olive oil, drained, the fish broken into 1” pieces OR

   1 smoked mackerel, skinned and cut into pieces OR 2 cans/jars oil based tuna

1 15 oz chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tbsp small capers,

1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl. Whisk in the harissa, lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and plenty of pepper, then stir in the onion. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, peel and set aside.

Not quite dressed yet...

Put the remaining tbsp. olive oil in a large bowl, add the frisee with a pinch of salt, and toss gently to coat. Arrange the moist frisee on a large platter or divide between four plates.

In bowl the frisee was in, gently mix the fish, chickpeas, capers and parsley, then scatter over the lettuce. Spoon all but two tbsp of the onion and dressing over the to.

Carefully quarter the eggs, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and arrange on the salad. Give a good grind of pepper over the top of everything and drizzle the remaining dressing on top.

Ethiopian Chickpea Stew with Berbere Spice
I cannot stop recommending the Berbere spice mix from Ethiopia. It's addictively delicious because it wakes up everything including your tongue. It's not hot, just merry and bright. Because it takes a few minutes, I make up a batch, about 1/2 c, and store it in a jar in the fridge for up to 4 months. By then it's definitely gone. I posted the recipe earlier this year as well as in years before as my gift to you, dear readers. At the bottom of this recipe, I am posting it one more time because, as I said, I cannot recommend it enough. 
 serves 6-8

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium red onion, diced

1” piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely chopped

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato paste

4 c vegetable broth

1 lb red potatoes (about 3 medium) cut into 1” chunks

4 orange carrots, cut into ½” thick disks.

2 tbsp Berbere spice mix*

fistful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 450°.

Make the spice mix if you don’t already have it. (It’s so sensational, you should always have some around.)
In a medium bowl, toss chickpeas with 2 tbsp of olive oil, then pour them into a single layer on a large rimmed baking/cookie sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until just starting to turn golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Take 5-6 off the top and set aside for garnish.

Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and chopped ginger. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the Berbere spice mix and cook, stirring constantly about 2 minutes to make the spices fragrant and toasted. Stir in tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes so they are hot.

Stir in broth, potatoes, carrots and chickpeas. Bring the pot to a boil. reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 20 minutes until carrots and potatoes are tender. Uncover the pot and simmer another 15-20 minutes so the stew thickens. The potatoes and carrots should be almost mushy tender. Serve with the set aside chickpeas on top and a fistful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

THE BERBERE SPICE MIX RECIPE (again)

2 tsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1⁄2 tsp. black peppercorns

1⁄4 tsp. whole allspice

6 white cardamom pods

4 whole cloves

1⁄2 cup dried onion flakes (optional, I don't use them)

5 dried Arbol chilies, stemmed, seeded,

and broken into small pieces

3 tbsp. paprika

2 tsp. kosher salt

1⁄2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1⁄2 tsp. ground ginger

1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. In a small skillet, combine coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, black peppercorns, allspice, cardamom pods, and cloves. Toast spices over medium heat, swirling skillet constantly, until fragrant, about 4 minutes.

2. Let cool slightly; transfer to a spice grinder along with onion flakes and grind until fine. Add chilies, and grind with the other spices until fine.

3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in paprika, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. Store in an airtight container.

Gala Turkish Dessert: Ashure or Noah's Ark

The legend of this gala dessert from Anatolia is that when his ark washed ashore, Noah made it from whatever had survived the great flood, thus the curious combination of grains, beans and fruits. Yet that weirdness yields a uniquely vivid, nourishing and tasty dish. There are many moving parts so it takes a bit of time to assemble but the good news is that every one of them is very simple so it's hard to fail. Other good news is it can be made with stuff stashed on the pantry shelf.

serves 5-6 (double it for a crowd)
1 oz dried navy (white) beans, soaked overnight
1 oz dried chickpeas soaked overnight
1 oz canned cooked fava beans, drained and rinsed (my shortcut because dried favas can be harder to find)
2 oz buckwheat groats/kasha
1 oz (about 3 heaping tbsp) short grain rice, rinsed clear
1/2 c dried apricots, chopped
3 tbsp golden raisins
1 tbsp dried currants
scant 1/2 c sugar
3 tbsp confectioners/ powdered sugar (or pure cornstarch if you have it)
1/3 c rose water (not optional as this is the flavor base)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the Topping
4 dried figs, sliced
6 dried apricots, sliced
1 tbsp golden raisins plumped 10 minutes in warm water and drained)
 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts
1 tbsp unsalted pistachio nutmeats
1/4 c pomegranate seeds
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Drain the soaked beans, put them in separate pots, add 3 times the amount of water and cook until tender. The white beans will be first at about 50 minutes, the chickpeas at 1 hour.  Drain.

In a large pot, cook the buckwheat groats in 3 times the amount of water until tender, about 1/2 hour, Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and add water if necessary. When it's tender, add all the beans and the rice. Be sure everything is covered by 1" of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 15 minutes until the rice is soft. The beans may start to look mushy which is ok.

While this is cooking soak the dried fruits not for the topping in boiling water for 10 minutes to plump. Drain.  Add to the grain pot with the sugar. Stir to blend and simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the mixture starts to thicken. Stir in the powdered sugar/cornstarch along the way to speed it up. As it thickens add the rose water and simmer until the mixture is very thick, like the pudding it is supposed to be. see photo here,
Transfer the pudding into a serving bowl that still gives another 1" of room on top and level it. Decorate with the topping fruits and nuts. Serve chilled or at room temperature.




Cazuela de Garbanzos con Chorizo 
(Catalan chickpea and sausage stew with spinach)
This is a best bet for a fast, fresh, flavorful and friendly winter night dinner,
serves 4

6  6 tbsp olive oil

1/ 2 lb Spanish chorizo, sliced thin

2  2 garlic cloves, minced

2  15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2  2 tsp sweet paprika

¾ 3/4 lb spinach, chopped

ju  juice and zest of 1 lemon

s  salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat a large nonstick skillet or cast iron paella pan (see below) over medium flame. Add the olive oil. When it starts shimmer, add chorizo and lightly brown, stirring occasionally 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add chickpeas and paprika. Stir to coat chickpeas with oil and paprika and cook until chickpeas are just heated through, stirring frequently, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach [in batches, if necessary], tossing to coat it with oil and wilt it. When the spinach has just wilted, remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and zest. Season to your taste with salt and pepper and serve.


Chilean Chickpeas with Rice and Pumpkin

serves 4
½ lb or 1 c. dried chickpeas
1/2 c rice
¼ lb pumpkin or butternut squash cut into cubes
1 garlic clove minced

1 med onion finely chopped
1/4 red pepper like Fresno (mildly warm) or a bell pepper, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf

4 c veg broth or water
Salt to your taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Soak the chickpeas in a bowl overnight. Drain, rinse and put them with the bay leaf in a pot covered with 2” of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 hour until they are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Rinse the chickpeas.

Coat the bottom of a medium heavy gauge pot with the olive oil. Get it hot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper and sauté 5-7 minutes until soft. Add the chickpeas, rice, pumpkin/squash, salt and broth. Be sure everything is buried in the broth and there is at least 1” liquid above. If not add more broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook uncovered 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pumpkin is soft and the rice plump. Season with black pepper to serve.

Colombian Cream of Chickpea Soup

Cream soups are quite common in Colombia I am told and this is one of the most popular.

Serves 4-6

3 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 small onion, diced

3 scallions, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

6 c beef broth

2 c heavy cream

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Warm a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the butter, onions, scallions, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pot with the beef broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer about 2 hrs stirring occasionally, until the chickpeas are tender. Take 8 chickpeas out of the pot and set aside.

Using a blender or food processor, puree the soup to a chunky texture, and return to the pot.

Stir in the heavy cream and warm the soup over low heat. If it is too thick, thin it with water. Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl with cilantro and reserved chickpeas.

And yes there are more chickpea recipes to come!