Tonight’s Side Dish: Blackened Chickpeas

Blackened Chickpeas

These salty little things go quick. Serve them warm. Eat them plain, add them to a salad, or sprinkle on toast. We also make a mild version (skip the Aleppo) for our little ones to snack on.

Makes 160g

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
160g cooked chickpeas (note 1) or tinned, drained
? tsp salt
? tsp Aleppo pepper flakes
squeeze of lemon juice
Cyprus flake salt

Method
Heat the olive oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas, salt, and Aleppo pepper. Saut?, shaking the pan only occasionally, until the chickpeas are crispy and golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice, and toss to coat. Finish with a sprinkling of flaky salt and serve immediately.

Note 1:?Chickpeas
Legume/grain to water (or stock) ratio: 185g: 2.8 litres
1 to 1? hours

Method
Place the dried chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with 1.4 litres water. Set aside to soak overnight.

Drain the soaked chickpeas and rinse them under cold water. Place the chickpeas in a large stockpot and cover with the water for cooking; add 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 to 1? hours, until the chickpeas are cooked to your liking. Drain.

Extracted from Simple Fare: Fall and Winter by Karen Mordechai (Abrams, approx €23), http://abramsandchronicle.co.uk/books/lifestyle/9781419726651-simple-fare

Photograph – 2017 Karen Mordechai