Mediterranean Smashed Chickpeas
You smash half the chickpeas in this recipe to make a spread, sort of a warm rustic hummus enhanced with garlic cumin and hot pepper, along with a liberal drizzle of olive oil. You can use either freshly cooked dried beans or canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), though freshly cooked is always preferable. Tuck some into a pita for a vegetarian sandwich or serve as a dip to eat with bread and olives; a dollop of minty yogurt and a drizzle of tahini sauce make nice additions.
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
Salt and pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground toasted cumin
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup finely diced celery
4 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered (optional)
Minted yogurt (optional), see notes
Tahini sauce (optional), see notes
- 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.
NOTE: To make minted yogurt, stir 2 tablespoons chopped mint and 1 minced garlic clove into a cup of thick yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.
NOTE: To make tahini sauce, mix 1/4 cup Middle Eastern sesame paste with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil.
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