Chickpea Confit Food

CHICKPEA CONFIT

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or a heavy pot, combine the garlic, cumin, mustard seeds, and chickpeas. Seasons liberally with kosher salt and pepper, and barley cover with blended oil. Cover the pot and cook at 325°F until aromatic but not browned, about 45 minutes.
• When the mixture is cool, transfer it, with all the oil, to a sterilized glass container and use as you like. If the chickpeas are covered with oil, the confit will last for at least 3 weeks in the refrigerator. Always save the oil for another use, for example, in a cumin vinaigrette or for sautéing.

CHICKPEA SPREAD

Steps:

• Brush the onion slices with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. On a hot griddle pan or in a cast-iron skillet, grill until tender and slightly char-marked.
• In a food processor, combine the grilled onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, shallots, basil, and cumin. Pulse into a chunky purée. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, then the lemon juice. The mixture should be quite smooth.
• Transfer to a large bowl and add the Chickpea Confit. Fold together to blend. Return to the food processor in batches, and purée until the mixture is smooth and thick. Season to taste with pepper and salt (if the sun-dried tomatoes are very salty, you may not need much). The texture is a matter of taste; if it is very thick, add a little more olive oil to yield a creamier result. Well covered, the spread will last for at least a week in the refrigerator.
• For two different textures, puree half the spread until very smooth and pale, and leave the other half chunky.
• If you refrigerate the spread overnight, you can return it to a nice creamy texture by rewhipping in the food processor (pulse on and off for 1 minute).
• The Wedge: Cut a small triangle of pita and smear with Chickpea Spread. Top with a pinch of crumbled feta and some sliced scallions, picked sprigs of parsley or dill, and a few slivers of olive.

CHICKPEA CONFIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a medium covered Dutch oven, combine garlic, cumin, mustard seeds, and chickpeas; season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Cover with blended oil, using enough to just cover, abut 1/2 to 3/4 cup (you may need to add a tablespoon or two more during cooking to keep submerged).
• Cover and bake 45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until chickpeas are fragrant, but nt browned. Add oil when stirring, if needed, to keep chickpeas submerged.
• Uncover and let cool to room temperature.
• Remove peppercorns, cumin or mustard seeds from individual portions.
• Leftovers can be stored in a covered sterilized glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.