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.
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- Salt and pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground toasted cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup finely diced celery
- 4 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cooked or canned
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered (optional)
- Minted yogurt (optional), see notes
- Tahini sauce (optional), see notes
About 3 1/2 cups chickpea spread
Preparation
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
30 minutes
Dining and Cooking