Yotam Ottolenghi's chickpea recipes

Updated at: Mon, 15 Jan 2024 08:30:06 GMT

Step 1

Prep 25 min

Step 2

Cook 1 hr 20 min

Step 3

Serves 4

Step 4

Heat the oven to 170C (150C fan)/325F/gas 3. Put the chickpeas, whole garlic cloves, ginger, tomatoes, chillies, tomato paste, spices, sugar, oil and a teaspoon of salt in a large, ovenproof saute pan for which you have a lid, then stir to combine. Cover, put in the oven and cook for 75 minutes, stirring once halfway, until the aromatics have softened and the tomatoes have broken down.

Step 5

Meanwhile, make the yoghurt dressing. Put the mint, coriander, yoghurt, lime juice, crushed garlic and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in the small bowl of a food processor and blitz smooth.

Step 6

Serve the chickpeas directly from the pan (or transfer them to a shallow serving platter), with the yoghurt and lime wedges in two separate bowls alongside, with warm pitta or flatbread, if you wish.

Step 7

Prep 15 min

Step 8

Cook 45 min

Step 9

Set 30 min

Step 10

Serves 4 as a snack

Step 11

Put the onion, lemon juice and a quarter-teaspoon of salt in a small bowl and leave to pickle and soften.

Step 12

Line a 28cm x 18cm baking dish with a sheet of baking paper large enough to cover the base and sides.

Step 13

Put two teaspoons of the chaat masala, all the turmeric, olive oil, 700ml water, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to low. Stir the gram flour and polenta in a bowl to combine, then slowly pour into the water, whisking continuously to ensure there are no big lumps (there will still be a few small ones). Cook for four minutes, whisking vigorously, until the mixture thickens and starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, then quickly transfer to the prepared tin and smooth out the top with a spatula. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, until set completely.

Step 14

Meanwhile, make the mayo. Set a sieve over a bowl and drain the tin of chickpeas. Separately measure out 50g chickpeas (save the rest for another use) and 40g of their water (discard the rest), then put in a food processor with the garlic, mustard, lemon juice and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, and blitz smooth, scraping the sides every now and then as you go. With the motor running, very slowly drizzle in the sunflower oil, until the mixture comes together into a loose, mayonnaise-like consistency, then transfer to a small bowl (and refrigerate if you’re making this ahead of time).

Step 15

Use the paper lining to lift the chickpea mixture out of its tin and on to a board. Trim the edges slightly, to give you a neat rectangle, then cut lengthways into 12 1.5cm-thick slices. Now cut again widthways in half, to leave you you 24 pieces in total.

Step 16

Heat the sunflower oil in a medium saucepan on a medium-high heat. Once very hot, fry the chickpea pieces in about three batches for about five minutes a batch, until golden and crisp on the outside, using a slotted spoon to move them around a little as they cook. Transfer to a tray lined with absorbent paper while you cook the rest. Once all the pieces are cooked, sprinkle lightly with salt.

Step 17

Stir the coriander and chillies into the pickled onion bowl. To serve, pile the chickpea chips on to a plate and sprinkle all over with the remaining quarter-teaspoon of chaat masala. Spoon the onion mixture to one side, put the mayo bowl on the plate and serve warm.

Step 18

Prep 20 min

Step 19

Cook 2 hr 10 min

Step 20

Serves 4

Step 21

Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4.

Step 22

Put two tablespoons of oil in a large, high-sided, ovenproof saute pan for which you have a lid, and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for about 90 seconds, until it’s fragrant and just starting to colour. Add the parmesan rinds, drained chickpeas, bicarb, 1.2 litres water and a very generous amount of coarsely cracked black pepper (give it about 40 grinds). Bring to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface as it does so, then cover and transfer to the oven for an hour and 15 minutes. Add three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and cook for another 30 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft and the liquid has reduced by about half.

Step 23

While the chickpeas are baking, mix the chillies, vinegar and a small pinch of salt in a small bowl and set aside to pickle lightly.

Step 24

About 10 minutes before the chickpeas are ready, put the last tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat and, once hot, add the spinach in batches with a quarter-teaspoon of salt and cook for about four minutes, until just wilted, then stir through the parsley.

Step 25

When the chickpeas are done, remove the lid and, while they’re still hot from the oven but not on any heat source, add a quarter of the butter cubes and about 15g grated parmesan, stirring until the butter has melted into the sauce. Repeat, adding a quarter more of the butter and 15g parmesan each time, until you’ve used up all the butter and 60g cheese. Finally, add another very generous grind of coarsely ground black pepper.The sauce will by now have thickened significantly and coated the chickpeas. Top with the spinach mixture, the pickled chillies and their liquid, and a final sprinkling of parmesan, and serve with extra parmesan on the side.

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