Chickpeas Can Be Used A Number Of Ways
Between the Tigris and the Euphrates, the ancients cultivated chickpeas as early as 5000 B.C. They are still a staple in the Middle East today, the basic ingredient of hummus and falafel.
Chickpeas are India’s most important legume, where they’re boiled, fried, sprouted, made into soup and ground into flour. In North Africa, a couscous is never served without a garnish of chickpeas. They were among the first crops brought to the New World by Columbus. But I don’t know how my grandmother, an eastern European emigre to America, came to know them.
If grandmother was introduced to chickpeas by a New York neighbor of Italian or Spanish ancestry, she would have called them garbanzo beans. No, she most definitely called them chickpeas.
Perhaps it was in Paris, where my grandparents married and lived for a while, that grandmother was introduced to this venerable pulse, but I think not. Post-World War I Paris had not yet become home to the emigres from North Africa and India that have made chickpeas a staple in the markets. Chickpeas were, and still are, common throughout southern Europe, but that’s a part of the world that my grandparents didn’t visit until they were tourists and in their 60s.
I like to imagine, though, that during one of their trips to the French Riviera, my grandmother encountered the Nicoise specialty, socca. She was an adventuresome eater and a natural cook. She would have been enchanted by the socca vendors in the Vieux Carre, the site of Nice’s outdoor market.
Working under fierce summer sun and turquoise Provencal sky, the cooks place round, shallow copper pans over open wood fires and cook a porridge made of chickpea flour, burning the bottoms to just the right color, to give a slightly carbonized flavor. They sell these snacks in paper cones to marketers.
Chickpea flour is readily available in Indian grocery stores, where it’s called “besom.” It’s also a staple on health food store shelves.
With 361 calories per 100 grams, fresh chickpeas are 21 percent protein, 61 percent carbohydrate, 5 percent fat and 11 percent water. They’re well-stocked with iron and B vitamins.
Dried chickpeas need the longest cooking of all the dried pulses and legumes. Even fresh, they can take up to an hour to soften. Unless you’re using a pressure cooker, dried chickpeas should be soaked overnight before cooking; adding a tablespoon of baking soda to the water helps the softening process.
Oh, yes. As for what my grandmother did with chickpeas, she served then as an hors d’oeuvre when company came, little bowls of tender peas tossed with a lot of freshly ground black pepper and some kosher salt. As a child, I was crazy about them. Still am. I often keep a container of them in the fridge to snack on and to serve when friends pop in. They’re my version of bridge mix.
Socca
Traditionally this dish is served unadorned, but it’s wonderful with tomato sauce and some crumbled blue cheese.
1/4 cup finely minced shallots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups chickpea flour
2 cups cold water
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Preheat oven to 475 degrees or light a grill.
Saute shallots in oil until softened, about 3 minutes. Scrape into bowl. Add chickpea flour, pepper and salt. Slowly pour in water, stirring constantly.
Pour porridge into a well-oiled, 8- by 11-inch metal baking pan. Porridge should be only 1 inch thick. Place tray in oven and bake at 475 degrees 20 minutes, or place over hot coals on grill and cook 12-15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve hot.
Yield: 4 servings.
Sauteed Socca
1-1/2 cups chickpea flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 cups cold water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
Place chickpea flour, salt and pepper in pan. Slowly pour in water, stirring constantly, until well combined. Stir in oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring, about 10 minutes.
Scrape porridge into oiled 1-quart loaf mold and refrigerate 1 hour. To unmold socca, turn mold upside down on work counter and tap gently. Slice socca into 1/2-inch slabs. Roll each in Parmesan cheese.
Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat and cook socca on both sides until golden, 5 to 7 minutes total. Depending on size of skillet, you may have to do this in 2 batches. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 servings.
Chickpea and Crab Panisses (Hush Puppies)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup finely minced shallots or onions
2 cups chickpea flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
3 cups water
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup flaked crab meat
Oil for frying
Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chickpea flour, salt and red pepper flakes. Slowly add water, stirring constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Pour porridge into bowl. Add eggs, baking powder and crab meat and mix well.
Heat 2-inch depth of oil in pan or heavy skillet over medium heat. When hot, drop spoonfuls of porridge into oil, in batches, and fry until golden, about 4 minutes. Keep panisses warm in 200-degree oven until all are cooked. Serve immediately.
Yield: 30 to 40 panisses.
Peppered Chickpeas
2 cups dried chickpeas
Water
1 tablespoon baking soda
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons flavorless oil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
Soak chickpeas overnight in water and baking soda. Drain. Place chickpeas in pan and cover generously with fresh water. Add bay leaves and 1 tablespoon salt. Cover and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, 2 to 3 hours. Check pan during cooking and add water as needed to keep chickpeas covered.
Drain chickpeas and place in bowl. Discard bay leaves. Sprinkle chickpeas with oil and several grinds of pepper. Add sea salt and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Serve in bowls.
Yield: 3 cups (to serve 12 nibblers).