I like beans, I really do. Every January I resolve to eat more of them, but it’s so easy to get stuck in a rut. You do the pintos with Mexican food, white beans for French or Italian soups, and you cook with summer savory, the so-called “bean herb” when you’re stumped — though I can’t say the stuff does much for me.
That’s why it’s so exciting to find that chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans, have so much more to offer. A couple months ago I bought a sack of dried from Alvarez Farms, and I love just how many options there are with these guys. Toss with basil for a cool summer salad. Mash with parsley to make falafel. Braise with ginger and cilantro, or with leeks. Cook quickly with fried sage, then toss with olive oil and a bit of garlic — they’re tasty over chunky pasta, though not everybody agrees on this last point.
And they taste different every time. Not to mention that they’re amazing cooked down with pork fat, but let’s go there some other time.
One especially easy preparation is this Jerry Traunfeld special, where the chickpeas are fried quickly with rosemary and sea salt. They come out crunchy, salty, and yes, delightfully savory, a perfect way to start a meal.
Recipe: Popped Chickpeas
Olive oil / 1 cup cooked chickpeas / 2 tsp minced rosemary / 1 tsp minced garlic / big pinch sea salt / pepper to taste
Heat 2 tbls olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high. When oil is hot, add chickpeas and cook, stirring, for several minutes. The skins should start to brown in places. Sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, sea salt and pepper and continue cooking about 2 minutes more, then drain and serve. Adapted from Jerry Traunfeld.
7 comments
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January 8, 2009 at 11:37 am
Gretchen Z
I’m with you! Chickpeas can be added to so many dishes. Lately I’ve been combining them with grains. Last night I mixed Thundering Hooves ground lamb (seasoned with N. African style spices: cinnamon, cardamon, cumin, etc.) with leftover quinoa and Alvarez Farms chickpeas. Topped it with some chopped, fresh parsley. It was delicious and so easy and quick.
January 10, 2009 at 6:56 am
audrey
Gretchen, I like the sounds of that ground lamb and chickpea dish! Thanks for the comment.
January 10, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Kimberly
I was so excited the first time that I saw chickpeas at Alvarez’s market stand; they’re just about my favorite bean. I was really looking forward to buying them fresh this summer, as I’ve never had them that way. But the weather didn’t cooperate somehow, so they only had dried this year. I recently cooked them in a stew with kabocha squash, tomatoes and coriander/cumin/turmeric/ginger. (Those north African spices again!)
January 12, 2009 at 7:55 pm
k
Thanks for this tip – I wanted a more asian flavour, so I sauteed them in garlic and ginger and sesame seeds – yum. I could have eaten them just like that, but made a full meal by tossing them with a few fresh veggies, leftover quinoa, crab meat, and sweet thai chili sauce – great mix to put in wrap.
January 15, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Poppy
I’ve been thinking about chickpeas lately and would love to buy some locally. Where is the Alvarez market stand? Pike Place market? Sounds like a great resource.
January 16, 2009 at 10:25 am
audrey
Poppy, the Alvarez stand is just outside the covered market, right on Pike Place, under a tent. I haven’t been there lately but they say they’re there year round.
May 27, 2009 at 10:18 am
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