FRIED CHICKPEAS WITH PARMESAN, LEMON AND ALMONDS

Fried Chickpeas with Parmesan, Lemon and Almonds image

Provided by Kelsey Nixon

Time 1h5m

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 9

2 cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed, drained and dried with paper towels
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 lemon, zest of
1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Maldon sea salt, to taste

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
Spread the chickpeas out on a baking sheet and transfer them to the oven to dry out. After 45 minutes, pull the chickpeas from the oven and set aside.
Fill a Dutch oven with 3 inches of vegetable oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
Combine the Parmesan, smoked paprika and lemon zest in a large bowl.
Using a spider, lower the chickpeas into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Then add the almonds, parsley and garlic to the fryer. Fry it all for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Be careful, the parsley will spatter a bit when it hits the oil.
With your spider, pull everything out of the oil and immediately toss in the bowl with the Parmesan mixture. Season with salt and serve.