It has been really busy here. I mean really, really busy. Not much time for cooking. You may have noticed. Most of my dishes lately have been very simple. Yummy, but no-fuss. And it is likely that I will be this busy for another month.
The need for simple dishes took me back to Elizabeth David today. It was a good move, taking her book from the bookshelf again. I found a Chickpea Salad.
She writes:
Season the [chick]peas well with salt if they need it, pepper, olive oil, and if you like a little finely sliced onion.
Salad de Pois Chiches (Chickpea Salad)
I took Liz’s advice and made a chickpea salad by drizzling a good olive oil over chickpeas fresh from the stove, while they are still hot. This really releases the flavour of the oil (as well as a beautiful aroma). Strew with shredded ginger, green herbs, grated lemon or lime zest, lemon or lime juice, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can soak and cook your own chickpeas, or use tinned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). Yum.
A Note on Chickpea Skins
I was asked a while ago about chickpea skins – how you get rid of them. I don’t have a trouble with the skins, and I think that must be because of the quality of the chickpeas.
Some skins become loose during cooking, and as I pour off the water when the chickpeas are cooked, most loose skins float away with the water. The few that remain don’t present a problem. You can see one skin on the right of the photo at the top of the post.
People are Saying:
- Mostly Eating has included this recipe in her list of “Mostly Reading Now” links.
- Kathryn from Limes and Lycopene, in her always interesting weekly links post, says:
The easiest chickpea salad?: I love the simplicity of A Life Time of Cooking’s quick and easy chickpea salad with ginger, herbs and citrus.
- Elastic Waist in her fabulous blog is over the moon about this recipe. In her post dedicated to this dish she effuses :
It is strange that a chickpea salad, like this so-simple idea from A Life (Time) of Cooking can be a vehicle for joy, but take your blessings where you find them. The flavors are fresh and interesting, the food is fast and so easy even I can make it, and you just have to keep yourself from falling asleep with a fork in your mouth.
The post is a joy to read. Make sure you check it out.
- Shine, from Yahoo, is an online magazine featuring the best writers and bloggers in women’s publishing. Anne Fitzgerald from Elastic Waist, is a contributor, and her article about this post appears there as well.
Other Recipes by Elizabeth David
Other Chickpea Recipes
- Chickpeas with Ginger Root Salad
- Chana Chat with Chat Masala
- Chat Masala
- Cheat’s Hummus – Hummus made from a can of chickpeas or butter beans
- Chick Peas
- Chickpea, Almond and Sesame Spread
- Meet Mr. Channa Chat Man, selling chickpea snacks on the beach at Kovalam.
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Great stuff!
Liz – I love it. Shall refer to Mrs David as Liz from now on.
Hope you’re not too snowed under. Enjoying the cooler nights?
Oh I think about the number of times I have tucked myself up in bed with Elizabeth David, for a wonderful read, and I believe that I have earned the right to call her Liz.
Weather is good, lovely warm days and cool, snuggle up nights.
Chickpeas + ginger, citrus, herbs salt – this is my kind of dish. At times I make what Madhur Jaffrey calls a “beaded” hummous – ie the chickpeas are left whole, like beads. It’s chickpeas + garlic, lemon juice, cayenne and parsley. Delicious, but super-garlicky.
This sounds so delicious, I am going to make it! Plus add a touch of tahini to the dish for added goodness, or maybe just sesame seeds. Thanks!
I prepare this often as an evening snack..Healthy one
Lovely idea as an evening snack.
my first time here…i love anything with chickpeas…so delicous…this looks simple and nice…and healthy too
Hi ranji, welcome. This is so healthy that it is a wonder there are not pills made from it
.
This sounds like such a wonderful, comforting dish. I often resort to just eating chickpeas with nothing more than a pinch of minced garlic and salt after a busy day, but I think that this version just might be easy enough (and tasty) to be worth the effort!
They are such a versatile ingredient. Can you imagine being without them?
love your chickpeas salad yummyyy
Hi sagari, thank you! So simple really, it really is just the chickpeas shining through.
This looks absolutely delicious. Chickpeas in my opinion are best if kept simple, as is with this recipe. Sometimes I enjoy chickpeas simply on their own for their wonderful flavor and texture.
Hi Romina, love your site,and glad that you are finding veganism rewarding (as well as an excuse to learn to cook). Chickpeas – gotta love em.
Chickpeas is great for spring when you want lighter and more simple food.
My best recipe for chickpea is “hummus”, although its more complicated.
I would link to enrich my chickpea experience with this recipe
Thank you Azriel. I love hummus too.
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What a lovely, lovely recipe! It’s tins all the way for me though. I got here from Kalyn’s blog.
Hi Mallika, thank you for coming! And thanks to the wonderful Kalyn. So glad that you like the recipe and hope to see you again.
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This chickpea dish sounds right up my street. I think I’ve got that book on the shelf so I’ll give it a go sometime. I’d eat pulses, beans etc all the time, but my wife can’t bear them!
i would like to make your keep it simple chickpea salad, but don’t know what you mean by ‘green herbs’…can you point me in the right direction, pls?
Sure, Anne. Green herbs are fresh herbs that are suitable for salads – parsley, mint, chives, basil, a little thyme … Whatever you have on hand. Probably best to use mainly parsley with others mixed in.
Ganga108,
Thanks much!
Have you added coconut to the chickpea salad?
I haven’t but it sounds delightful!
Loved the salad! The chickpea skins are a great source of fibre; to my knowledge, one isn’t supposed to get rid of them. Here in India, I’ve seen caterers boil chickpeas without too much extra water, and with a large folded towel or a roll of muslin pressed down on them to keep them in place while boiling. That keeps the skins from coming loose. At home I find that pressure cooking them just to the right degree also keeps the skins intact. Hope this helps
Thanks for a great recipe.
Thanks, Nonie, that’s great information!
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