Chickpeas are a good source of protein and fiber.
Chickpeas, also known as ceci or garbanzo beans, are widely available dried or canned. Fresh chickpeas are available from May to September, although they may be hard to find in your local markets. Fresh chickpeas are harvested earlier than the chickpeas which are canned. The chickpeas you find in cans have been allowed to stay on the vine until they mature. Fresh chickpeas are light green, not the creamy brown of mature chickpeas, and are also usually sold in their pod.
Instructions
1. Use the chickpeas raw in salads or as a snack. Wash the chickpeas before using them; you can shell them if desired, but they can also be left in the pod and eaten like snap peas.
2. Steam the chickpeas for five minutes. They can be steamed in the pods, or you can shuck them first. Toss the steamed chickpeas with olive oil for a quick side dish, or mix them in with pasta, rice, grains or other vegetables.
Steamed chickpeas can also be pureed and used to make hummus, the same way canned chickpeas are used. Steam the chickpeas for 18 to 20 minutes, until very soft, before cooling and pureeing. Hummus made with steamed chickpeas will have a lighter taste than conventional hummus, and will also be tinted a pale green.
3. Shuck the chickpeas, dust them in a mixture of flour and seasonings, and saute them. Pan fried chickpeas can be served as part of a frito misto -- a platter of assorted fried foods that might include fried artichoke wedges, eggplant cutlets and calamari -- and served with lemon wedges.
Tags: Fresh chickpeas, canned chickpeas, Steam chickpeas, steamed chickpeas