Very Chic Peas: the little black dress of food

Any season, any time of day, chickpeas seal the meal. Almost every culture revels in recipes for garbanzos, pois chiche, ceci, nohut or kabuli chana (peas from Kabul). They are the little black dress of the kitchen: perfect with and for everything.

So let's honor chickpeas as a perfect transit vehicle from winter into spring and see how they can take us straight to summer. Let's honor chickpeas because they make all our fresh vegetables and meats livelier and tastier. And for the vegetarians/vegans among us, they are a reliable source of protein.

Here's 8 easy, yummy completely differing ways the world loves chickpeas. Not included are longtime favorite posted recipes for Greek Island Rice and Chickpea Soup with Feta or Palestinian Lamb with Chard and Chickpeas.

Arabic Roasted Eggplant stuffed with Chickpeas in Tomato Mint Sauce
This is an Arabic version of what we know as Moussaka. It's actually called Moussaq'a.
It's a great summer appetizer/mezze/tapa and also a great lunch served with whole wheat pita.
Photo is before dollops of yogurt were added.

10 servings

3 large eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise (about 1/2 inch thick)

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for pans

1/4 cup peanut oil

1 med/lg onion, minced

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 tsp allspice

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground Aleppo pepper

1 tbsp + 1 tsp pomegranate molasses

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 tbsp minced fresh parsley

2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Whole mint leaves for garnish

Thick yogurt for serving

Heat oven to 450º and lightly oil two baking sheets or use nonstick ones. Combine the 1/4 cup olive oil and peanut oil. Brush eggplant slices on both sides with the mixture, then place on pans. Roast, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.

chickpea filling

In a large skillet, heat the 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, spices and molasses. Bring to a simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes more. Stir in half the pine nuts, parsley and chopped mint. Set aside to cool.

.

To serve: place a slice of eggplant on a platter and spoon tomato-chickpea mixture onto the wide end of the slice. Fold the narrower end of the slice over to cover the filling and place a mint leaf on top. Repeat with remaining slices and garnish with remaining pine nuts. Top each roll with a dollop of thick yogurt and serve cold or at room temperature.

Spanish Chickpea Salad
perfect anytime of year

Serves 6

   

12oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed several times

½ small/med red onion, peeled and finely diced (1/2 cup)

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced (about 8 leaves)

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, leaves only, minced

juice of one lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

¼ cup grated Parmigiano cheese (you want thin stringlike shreds)

5 lg pimento stuffed green olives, thinly sliced

1 med/lg garlic clove, peeled and minced

¼ tsp dried oregano leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Once the chickpeas have been thoroughly rinsed and are totally dry,

Combine all ingredients. Chill overnight and serve.

  

Armenian Lamb Shanks with Chickpeas

Perfect spring fling. I recently posted this in my Easter parade of recipes for lamb.

 serves 4
olive oil to coat your pan
4 lamb shanks, trimmed of fat and gristle
4 lg tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 medium red onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cayenne or chili pepper
4 c heated vegetable broth, or water
1 20-oz can chickpeas (2 c), rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 450º. Coat the bottom or a large roasting pan lightly with olive oil. Cover with lamb shanks and roll them to coat in the oil. Roast 30 minutes, turning halfway so they brown evenly. Remove pan from oven and reduce heat to 400º. Cover the lamb with the tomatoes and onions. Add the garlic, herbs, spices plus salt and pepper to your taste. Pour the hot broth or water around the meat. Cover the pan and return to the oven. Roast 1 1/2 hours.
   Uncover, stir and add chickpeas, stirring them into the sauce, and roast another 20-25 minutes. By now the lamb should be close to falling off the shank bone. If not, keep roasting.
Serve garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley and flat bread to mop up the yummy sauce.

Chunky Squash Soup with Chickpeas

 serves 4-6

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced, reserving the seeds*

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 dried red chili, crumbled

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped, stalks finely chopped

2 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped

6 c organic chicken or vegetable stock

2 cans (13/5-14 oz) chickpeas, drained

1/3 c ground/finely chopped almonds

½ tbsp. fennel seeds

½ tbsp sesame seeds

½ tbsp poppy seeds

     sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons, zest of

a few sprigs of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped

harissa paste or hot sauce

extra virgin olive oil

*if you don’t have squash seeds, use ½ cup packaged pumpkin seeds

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the squash, cumin and crumbled chili on to a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, mix together and place in the preheated oven. Roast for 45 minutes until the squash is tender.

Once the squash is roasted, heat a large saucepan and pour in 2 tbsp olive oil. Add celery, garlic, parsley stalks and two-thirds of the onion. Cook gently with a lid on until the veggies are soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add the roasted squash and let it sweat for a few minutes, then pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and simmer for 15 minutes more. Meanwhile, in 2 tsp olive oil, toast the squash/pumpkin seeds with the ground almonds, fennel, sesame and poppy seeds until they are nicely browned all over.

Season the soup well with salt and pepper.  If you have a hand-held blender, whiz the for a few seconds so it thickens, but there are still some chunky bits. If you don’t have one, pour about 2/3 of the soup into  a food processor and whiz a few rounds. Pour it back into the pot and blend.  Keep the soup on simmer. Mix together the lemon zest, chopped parsley leaves and mint leaves. Chop the remaining onion until it’s really fine, then mix into the zesty mixture.

To serve, spoon ½ tsp harissa paste or hot sauce into each bowl. Divide the zesty herb mixture between the bowls. Ladle in the soup and stir each bowl once with a spoon to blend everything. Sprinkle on top the toasted seeds and almonds, and finish with a drizzle of really fruity olive oil.  Serve this with toasted pita, naan or lavash and perhaps a cheese platter.

 NOTE: if you use vegetable stock, this soup is vegan and gluten-free.

 Omani Qabooli: Rice pilaf with chicken and chickpeas 

3 cups rice 1 chicken (medium) ½ cup raisin (washed and plumped) ½ cup cooked chickpeas 1 Cinnamon stick

4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed 3 cloves

5 whole black pepper corns

pinch of saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp rose water
¼ cup ghee
Salt to taste

Wash, then soak the rice in salted water.
Clean the chicken and cut into pieces.
Boil chicken in 8 cups of water with the spices and salt, removing froth as it appears. Cook until chicken is tender. Remove chicken, strain broth and return to the heat. Add enough water to have eight cups again and bring to boil. Add the rice and cook it halfway, about 8 minutes. Drain.
In a large skillet coated with the ghee, sauté chickpeas and raisin over medium heat until soft and slightly brown. Remove and keep aside. Place the chicken pieces in the same cooking pot to brown. If it sticks, add a bit more ghee or oil. Add boiled rice. Sprinkle with saffron rose water. Stir in chickpeas and raisins.
Simmer 15 minutes and serve.

Roasted Mexican Spiced Garbanzos
 

Make sure the chickpeas are completely dry after draining and rinsing them.

1 15-ounce can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Drain and rinse chickpeas in a colander. Pat dry.

Toss chickpeas in a medium-sized bowl with olive oil, sea salt, and spices.

Arrange chickpeas on a baking sheet in a single layer.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until crispy. While baking, shake pan or stir chickpeas to avoid burning.

 
Turkish Baked Hummus
winter into spring

Serves 4- 6

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained well

1/2 c olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

4 garlic cloves

2 tsp cumin seeds crushed or 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)

1/3 c thick plain yogurt

3 tbsp pine nuts

3 tbsp unsalted butter or ghee

2 tsp ground Aleppo or chipotle pepper or Hungarian paprika or 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste

Heat oven to 400º.

In a food processor or large mortar and pestle combine the chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and cumin into a paste. Beat in the tahini, then the yogurt and make the mixture into a light, smooth purée. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

Spoon the purée into an ovenproof earthenware dish about 7" in diameter, level and smooth the top with the back of the spoon.

In a small frying pan, dry toast the pine nuts on medium heat until they are golden. Lower heat and add the butter/ghee. When it melts add the ground pepper or paprika and quickly stir everything together. Pour this over the hummus.

Bake about 20-25 minutes, until it has risen slightly and the butter has been absorbed.  Serve immediately with a dollop of garlic mint yogurt for every wedge.

Okra Chickpea Bake (from Yotam Ottolenghi)

Serve with crusty bread or rice, to soak up the tasty juices. Serves six.

120ml olive oil
3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 red chilies, finely chopped
1½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tbsp tomato paste
18 oz cooked chickpeas (canned will do), drained
32 oz canned hopped tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
Shaved skin of 1 lemon
Salt and black pepper
1 1/3 lbs okra, stems trimmed without exposing the seeds
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 lb feta, broken into pieces
1 tbsp picked flat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon, plus 1½ tbsp juice
 
Heat the oven to 350º. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a large saute pan on a medium-high heat. Add shallots, saute 3 minutes, stirring regularly, then add garlic, chilies and cumin seeds. Cook another minute, then add tomato paste and cook a minute, stirring. Stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, sugar, shaved lemon skin, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add 1 3/4 c water, stir, reduce heat to low, cover and leave to bubble gently for 20 minutes.
      Meanwhile, put the okra in a large bowl with three tbsp of oil and 1/4 tsp of salt. Put a large saute pan on a high heat, add half the okra and sear for six minutes, turning regularly, until lightly charred all over. Remove from the pan, repeat with the remaining batch and then, once all the okra is seared, add it and the oregano to the chickpea pan. Stir gently, tip into a large 20cm x 30cm gratin dish and dot with the feta, submerging the cheese in the tomato juices. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbling, then remove; leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix the parsley, lemon zest and juice, the remaining three tbsp of oil and a pinch of salt. Spoon this over the baked okra and serve.