I absolutely adore chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, a staple in our diet. Mostly, but not only, cooked as a stew that pleases the whole family. Greek comfort food at its best!
Chickpeas are high in protein making them an excellent meat substitute for vegetarian and/or vegan diets. They are also high in fiber content and of low Glycemic Index that supports steady blood glucose levels protecting us from chronic health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
Chickpeas should be soaked before cooking them to soften and promote a faster cook time but also to be more digestible.
Make sure that your chickpeas are from the most recent harvest as older ones, or those kept in the pantry for long are much harder to soften/cook. In case your chickpeas are not that recent, I suggest using ¼ tsp of baking soda when soaking overnight. Be careful as too much baking soda can over soften and split the chickpeas during cooking.
I am also providing not only the traditional overnight method of soaking the chickpeas but also a simple method of quick soaking them.
Chickpeas with Tomatoes
Have a look below at the full recipe. Don’t forget, you can always print it.
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I hope you enjoy it!
Here you can find more of my Recipes with Chickpeas.
Chickpeas with Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 500g Dry Chickpeas , without their skin, from the latest harvest.
- 4 large ripe Tomatoes , roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 large Yellow Onion , roughly chopped
- 2 Carrots , halved and quartered lengthwise and then sliced
- 2 stalks Celery , halved lengthwise and then sliced
- ½ cup Celery leaves , roughly chopped. Replace with Parsley if not available
- 50ml EVOO , extra virgin olive oil
- Water
- 1 tsp Bay Leaves , ground
- 1 tsp All-Spice , ground
- 1 tsp dry Coriander , ground
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda , optional to help harder/older chickpeas to soften
- 1½ tsp Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- The traditional overnight method of soaking: 8 hours or overnight soak the Chickpeas in water with 1 tbsp of salt, the water to be 4 cm above the chickpeas as the chickpeas increase their volume quite rapidly. Add more water if needed. Drain the water and rinse them before cooking. Sprinkle a tsp or two of salt to prevent chickpeas from splitting.
- For a simple and quick method of soaking: Add the chickpeas in a large pot or casserole with 1 tbsp of salt and add cold water, 4 cm above the chickpeas. Bring to boil and keep on fire for 2’. Turn off heat, cover pot/casserole and let rest for 1 hour. Drain the water and rinse them before cooking. Sprinkle a tsp or two of salt to prevent chickpeas from splitting.
- To cook the chickpeas, use a large pot or casserole on high heat and add the soaked chickpeas. Add water to cover them and be 4 cm above their level and add a tsp or two of salt to prevent chickpeas from splitting. Bring to a boil and simmer at very low heat (don’t boil) for about 40’. Remember that for more firm chickpeas, leave the lid off, otherwise for more tender chickpeas cook with the lid on, slightly askew to allow steam to vent.
- Skim from the surface any scum/foam that is being created. Continue to cook until tender but still slightly firm. If needed, add more warm water to the pot/casserole for longer cooking time.
- When desired tenderness is achieved, reserve 3 cups of the cooking water, drain the chickpeas and keep aside to cool.
- To make the sauce we use the above pot/casserole that has been wiped dry and place on medium heat. Pour the oil and when it heats up add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté for about 5’ until softened. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1’ mixing well. Add the bay leaves, all-spice, coriander and the tomatoes sauté for 3-4’. Then add the cooked chickpeas along with the 3 reserved cups of water and bring to a boil while seasoning with the salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15’ to allow for the sauce to be reduced and thicken. 2’ before removing from the fire pour the lemon juice and stir in the celery leaves.
