GARBANZOS, BEYOND HUMMUS

 

                                Garbanzos, beyond hummus

          Hummus, a popular dip abundant in supermarkets these days, has crept into our diets in recent years. In its basic form it consists of mashed garbanzos, tahini, lemon juice and a bit of olive oil, with added flavor variations. Its main ingredient garbanzos have been grown for more than 7,000 years in Mediterranean, Middle East, India and Africa as a major source of protein.

          Today the name garbanzos is used interchangeably with chickpeas, but instead of being peas, they really are beans in the legume classification.  Irrespective of name, garbanzos are sometimes labeled as ‘super food’ because they are rich in protein, fiber, iron and vitamins.  Vegetarian diets esteem garbanzos for their ‘complete’ protein that contains all the essential amino acids.

          Fortunately, it is easy to incorporate garbanzos in many dishes, where they provide not only their nutritional qualities, but also texture and their delicious nutty flavor. Garbanzos are available already pre-cooked in a can, which allows them to be easily included in soups such as Minestrone. Dried garbanzos are much more economical, retain better texture for salads and once prepared in some quantity are available to enhance a number of different dishes with little additional hands-on time required.

                             Flavorful cooked garbanzos

          Rinse and soak 1-2 cups (the volume will more than double) dried garbanzos in excess cold water overnight.  Drain and return to a large pot. Add: 1 bay leaf, 5 cloves, 1 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. oregano and water to cover by at least 2 inches and bring to boil. Lower the heat to medium and cook for 40 minutes, stirring once. Remove bay leaf and cloves. Drain the garbanzos for salads or use with some of the liquid in soups. The cooked garbanzos can be included directly to liven up a green salad or crisped in 2-3 tblsp. olive oil for 3 minutes as toppings for salads and soups.

                                          Red Quinoa and garbanzo salad

          This recipe requires 1 to 1 ½ cups of garbanzos cooked as in the above recipe. Rinse and drain ½ cup red quinoa and place in a pot with a tight lid. Add 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable broth, bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to rest covered for 15 minutes.

          While quinoa is cooking prepare the lemon vinaigrette: 3 ½ tblsp. fresh lemon juice, ½ tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, ½ tsp. kosher salt, ¼ tsp. lemon pepper and 2 ½ tblsp. olive oil beaten with a fork to emulsify.

Fluff quinoa with a fork, add to a bowl containing garbanzos and thoroughly toss with the vinaigrette while still warm. Add ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives cut in half, 1 tblsp. chopped capers, ½ seeded and chopped red pepper, ½ cup chopped scallion, ¼ cup chopped dill and ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese. Toss all the ingredients to mix thoroughly and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving to blend the flavors. Can be made a day ahead. 

                                      Moroccan garbanzo, red lentil and sorrel soup

          This delightful soup can be served in both cold and hot weather, because the tart lime and sorrel flavors lighten its taste, and the pale green color gives it a summer like appearance. If you do not have access to sorrel, substitute with spinach and adjust the amount of lime juice as necessary.

          Sauté 1 chopped medium onion, 2 diced carrots and 1 diced stalk of celery in 2 tblsp. olive oil in a 3 qt. pot for 4 minutes. Add ½ tblsp. olive oil, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1 inch peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger, 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin, ½ tsp. turmeric, ½ tsp. sumac, 1/3 tsp. lemon pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add ½ cup rinsed red lentils, 5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth and cook for 15 minutes. Add one 14.5 oz. can drained garbanzos and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in 3-4 cups washed, stemmed and coarsely chopped sorrel (spinach) and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in 1 ½ tblsp. lime juice. Serve hot garnished with additional dill. Can be reheated.

          Garbanzos can make our summer meals interesting, healthy and delicious.

   (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day:” and “Uncharted Journey from Riga”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)