My love affair with the chickpea began twenty years ago when I was a student in Seville, and the Spanish woman I boarded with served them at least a couple times a week. My favorite of her preparations was the simplest of stews: chickpeas, rice, a little spinach thrown into the pressure cooker with chicken broth for half an hour. Over the years, my affection for the humble bean has not wavered, and garbanzos are a commonly used staple in our home. Especially during the hot summer months, I am always looking for new ways to enjoy my beloved legume. And so I present my latest: chickpea (or garbanzo if you prefer)/cilantro salad. The ingredient list:
Chickpeas
Fresh cilantro
Mojo verde (or small can/jar of green chilis/jalapenos)***
Red onion
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Cumin
Coriander
Pepper
I used about 2 cups of dried chickpeas, which I soaked overnight and boiled up this morning, but if you have not yet embraced the dry bean (and why haven't you?!), canned or jarred beans are fine, too. After draining and letting the chickpeas cool, I added about 1/3 cup of chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon of mojo verde, about 2 tablespoons of diced red onion, 2 tables of olive oil, juice from half a lemon, a little bit of cumin and coriander, and some freshly ground pepper.
***Now about the mojo verde, I came across this green chili salsa a few months ago in a little market. And seeing as I am an epicurious soul, I decided to add it to the shopping basket. Basically, mojo verde is a relatively mild green chili sauce from the Canary Islands and contains a couple jalapenos, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, cumin, and cilantro. Here is a fairly accurate recipe that I found, and here is another, although in the latter mysteriously no chilis are included. I would add a couple chilis, or chopped green bell pepper if you really can't handle any heat, to the second. Another option is to buy some already prepared.
After mixing all the ingredients, chill for a few hours to let the flavors meld, and then dig in. We'll be taking a large bowl to our pool picnic tomorrow! :-D
