Best Chickpea Garlic And Mint Topping Recipes

CHICKPEAS WITH CHILI, GARLIC AND THYME

Steps:

• Soak the chickpeas in enough cold water to cover generously and make a paste up with the flour, salt and baking soda and a little more cold water. Add this to the soaking chickpeas. Leave for 24 hours.
• Drain and thoroughly rinse the chickpeas in a colander under cold running water in the sink. Tip them into a large saucepan, cover abundantly with cold water and add the halved onion, sprigs of thyme and olive oil. Do not salt: at this stage it would make the skins tough. Put on a lid, bring to the boil and let bubble away for an hour and a half. At this stage only make you take off the lid to see how cooked the chickpeas are; you may also now add salt. If they're cooked, you should lower in a measuring cup to remove about 2 1/4 cups of the cooking water; otherwise keep going until they're ready.
• Once you've reserved your chickpea cooking liquid, drain the chickpeas and remove - with tongs for ease - the bits of onion and thyme. This doesn't have to be ruthlessly carried out, but just get rid of any obvious bits. Once cold you can place the chickpeas in a storage bin, tossing them first in olive oil to prevent drying, until you need them; or else cook them through to the final stage, let them cool and refrigerate them in a covered container or bowl covered with plastic wrap.
• Roughly seed and chop the red chile pepper, peel and chunk the onion, press on the garlic cloves to loosen, then remove the skins, add everything, along with the thyme leaves, into the processor and blitz to a pulp. In a large, deep frying pan or casserole - whatever suits - pour the olive oil, and when warm, tip in the pulp from the processor. Sprinkle with salt and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 5 to 10 minutes or until soft. Add the chickpeas and turn to coat, then pour in about half the chickpea cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Put on a lid and let cook gently until the chickpeas are hot and soft; you will probably need to remove the lid at the end of cooking to let excess water evaporate. If, however, you run out of liquid before the chickpeas are tender and soused enough, simply add more of the reserved water.
• When the chickpeas are ready, turn into a large bowl, or keep in the pan in which you've cooked them. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and stir until the chickpeas are glossy but not too thickly slicked. Sprinkle over sea salt and some thyme leaves if you feel like it (and happen to have some scattered anyway over the work surface - you might well at this stage) or leave them simply oiled and salted.

CHICKPEA, GARLIC, AND MINT TOPPING

Steps:

• Slip skins from chickpeas with your fingers.
• Mash garlic to a paste with kosher salt and pepper using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a large knife), then whisk paste together with lemon juice and oil until well blended. Toss with chickpeas, then mash with a fork until mixture just holds together. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour for flavors to develop. Stir in mint.

INSTANT POT TOMATO-BRAISED CHICKPEAS WITH TAHINI

Steps:

• Using the sauté function set on medium, heat oil in the pressure cooker pot. Add the sliced onions and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Using kitchen shears or your hands, break the tomatoes into pieces and add them, along with their liquid, to the pot. (If using diced tomatoes, just add them to the pot.) Stir in cinnamon stick and bay leaf, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and simmer until sauce has thickened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in chickpeas, cumin, turmeric, remaining 2 teaspoons salt and 4 cups water. (The water should cover the chickpeas by about an inch; if not, add a little more water.) Cover and cook at high pressure for 35 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes. Release any remaining pressure.
• While the chickpeas cook, make the tahini sauce: Combine lemon juice, garlic and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk in tahini, then whisk in oil, a few drops at a time, until emulsified. Whisk in enough ice water to make a thin, pourable sauce. Taste and add more lemon juice, if needed.
• Stir chopped cilantro into braised chickpeas and taste, adding more salt, if you'd like. To serve, garnish bowlfuls with a big drizzle of tahini sauce and more cilantro.

CHICKPEAS WITH MINT, SCALLIONS AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Pour soaked chickpeas into a colander to drain and put in a medium-size soup pot. Add water to cover by 1 inch and bring to a boil. Add onion, bay leaves, cinnamon and 2 teaspoons salt. Skim off and discard any rising foam. Lower heat and simmer gently for about 45 minutes, until tender. (May prepare in advance and reheat).
• Drain hot chickpeas (reserve broth for another purpose, such as soup) and discard onion and aromatics. Return chickpeas to pot and add olive oil and turmeric or saffron, stirring to distribute. Taste for salt and adjust.
• Transfer to a warm serving bowl. Mix mint, scallions and cilantro together and sprinkle over top. Serve warm.

MEDITERRANEAN SMASHED CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently until softened, about 10 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high. Add garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes and celery. Stir to combine let sizzle without browning for 1 minute.
• Add chickpeas and let them heat through. With a potato masher or wooden spoon, crush about half the beans. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning. Add 1/2 cup water (or bean cooking liquid if you have it) and let mixture simmer briskly for a minute or two. Stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Serve warm in pita or as a dip or side dish. Garnish with quartered eggs, accompanied by minted yogurt and tahini sauce, if desired.