Food For Thought - Chickpeas + 2 Recipes

I decided to bring back my Food For Thought series.

Most of you won't even remember the first series, that's ok because I'd forgot about it too. 

It will be a sporadic series of posts where I learn a bit more about the food I cook with and eat, then share some of what I learn, with you. Don't worry though, I won't be spewing out words like I've just swallowed a dictionary (that could change depending on my mood) and I won't be writing an epic novel either. The plan is to keep things brief but still beneficial, with a recipe or two thrown in for good measure, when I see fit.

credit: UK Photos-Europa Fotos

Chickpeas 

• Also known as gram or garbanzo beans, are a type of legume with a buttery texture and nutlike taste. 
• To my surprise, chickpeas actually come in a variety of colours not just beige (yes I didn't know either) there are black, green, red and brown ones. I would love to see those varieties in my local supermarket, wouldn't you? 
• Great source of vitamins, proteins and minerals. They are especially high in iron, which is great news for all us women, who tend to be deficient in iron and that can lead us to feeling tired, loss of concentration and even shortness of breath! 

Below are two of the many recipes available for the use of chickpeas, which I made and took photos of last night, with my phone. I often cook chickpeas into dishes such as north African stews / tagines but, my absolute favourite is to bung them into soups like this and this, They help 'beef' up or bulk up said soups if you don't want to as much, if any meat.

My second recipe uses chickpea/gram flour which is now becoming more readily available here in UK supermarkets, so there is no excuse for all you Brits reading this.

Hummus

A creamy, cumin spiced chickpea dip that is balanced beautifully with sharp lemon juice.

Recipe adapted from BBC

Serves: 2 

Preparation Time: varies depending on type (dry or canned) of chickpeas you use 

Make Time: 10 minutes

Special equipment needed: food processor or blender/stick blender.

Ingredients 

240 grams cooked chickpeas (= drained and rinsed 4oo gram tin or approx 80-100 grams dry , soaked overnight then boiled till tender)

2 tablespoon lemon juice or more, to taste

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

salt, to taste

2 tablespoon light tahini (sesame seed paste) or more, to taste *optional

4 tablespoon water

To garnish

drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

pinch of paprika and cumin

a few coriander or parsley leaves

Method

1. Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, salt, tahini, and water in a food processor, and blend to a creamy purée (i leave mine with a bit more texture, it's upto you)
2. Add more lemon juice, garlic, cumin or salt to taste. Turn out into a  plate or bowl, and make smooth with the back of a spoon. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pinch of paprika and cumin and scatter coriander / parsley leaves on top. Serve with your favourite bread, traditionally it would be pita. 

* Check the teal tadjine's blog post for tips on how to rehydrate and cook dry beans 

 Small Batch Karantita

An Algerian savoury chickpea 'tart' or sandwich filling of Spanish origin with a crusty surface and wobbly center.

Recipe adapted from my Karantita 

Serve: 3 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: approx 20-30 minutes

Special equipment needed: blender/stick blender

Ingredients

120 grams gram / chickpea flour 

3/4 teaspoon salt 

1/2  teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

125 ml whole milk 

300 ml water

60 ml olive oil 

1 large egg

pinch of ground cumin and paprika to sprinkle on top * optional
butter - for greasing

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 160C. Butter a 20cm square baking tin.
2. Crack the egg into a bowl and lightly whisk, set aside.
3. Sieve flour, cumin, salt and black pepper into a large bowl and then place contents into a blender, Add oil, milk and water, on with the lid and blend on high for 1-2 minutes.
4. Carefully pour contents into baking tin then pour the whisked egg over mixture. Sprinkle top with ground cumin and paprika. Place on rack in the lower part of your oven (not the bottom and not the middle) and cook for 15 minutes  then switch your oven to grill / broil and up the temperate to 200C (more if your feeling dangerous / can keep an eye on it) for a further 5-10 minutes (keep an eye on it)  until the karantita has a dark golden crust top and is just set, it will have a slight wobble (like any good tart) but will firm up a bit if left to cool.
5. Take out of the oven, cut into portions and serve alongside fried and a salad or use a sandwich filling with all those components just mentioned. Best eaten warm from the oven, not the same re-heated.

References:

• healthymuslim.com
• wikipedia
• how stuff works