LOVE THY LARDER: Chickpea Fritters
And a mezze spread
Chickpeas have had quite an image makeover in recent years, and I’m not mad about it. I’ve even seen a commercial positioning the humble legume as a romance starter. I’ve also found the chickpea section of the bean shelves bare in the supermarket. More than once.
I’ve always loved chickpeas, and it’s one of the few canned beans I buy regularly. I think I like the canned version better than fresh since the dry ones take some time to cook properly, and sometimes they never do. I like the softness and the saltiness of the canned ones and always pop a few into my mouth after I rinse them. I always make sure to keep a few cans on hand for what I call “meal emergencies,” which for me usually come at lunchtime. A salad with chickpeas, a can of tuna (one of my other emergency foods), and a few other fridge finds can become a filling lunch.
What can’t a chickpea do? They can bulk up a soup or stew. They can be roasted until crispy with spices, herbs, or both for a tasty cocktail snack or anytime snack. Heck, I even grilled them in a new recipe in Veg Forward. (Try it!) They can be whizzed into a quick hummus. They can be mashed and seasoned with lemon and herbs for a sandwich filling. They can fill out a pasta dish. And much, much more.
So if you don’t already stock this pantry superstar, you really should! Adding chickpeas to a dish in place of animal protein is a great way to experiment with cutting down on eating meat. I am a protein lover, and find I’m satisfied after a chickpea-laden meal.
Especially when it comes to these chickpea fritters.
These little pancakes are vaguely inspired by falafel, but are not falafel. They are packed with herbs like falafel, but they also have grated zucchini and scallions, and are pan-fried, not deep-fried.
This is another recipe from my last book that got lost in the shuffle, and it deserves more love! I presented it in the book as part of a mezze spread for a party, but when I made these the other night just for my husband and me (and to experiment for today’s newsletter), we had a mini mezze dinner, and I must say we really enjoyed it. It made dinner feel like a party! I happened to have some Whole Grain Cumin Crackerbread left over, which Steve thought he wanted to use to accompany his plate — until he saw me stuffing all of the elements into a pita. Of course he had to follow suit. It was so good!
To accompany the chickpea fritters — which, by the way, can be made completely ahead of time — I chose mostly simple, non-recipe elements. I had just a bit of Pickled Radishes and Onions left over from our radish deep dive a few weeks ago, and this was the perfect way to use them up. I also sliced up some nice fresh cucumbers from the farm stand, lightly salted them, coated them with yogurt, and threw in some fresh mint. I drizzled some olive oil over my favorite Esti eggplant hummus and put it in a pretty bowl. I opened a jar of Meredith Dairy marinated feta (look for it at a store near you!). I chopped up some nice, juicy tomatoes, and put out a few olives. Then I warmed up some pita. We had a delicious summer dinner, and the leftover chickpea fritters came in very handy for lunches and dinners in the ensuing days.
