Spiced Chickpea Salad with Tahini and Pita

inDouble Duty Recipes, Middle Eastern Recipes, Recipes, Rice, Bean, & Grain Recipes, Salad & Dressing Recipes, Soup & Stew Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetable Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes
  • YIELDS | 4 SERVINGS
  • PREP TIME | 10 MINS
  • COOK TIME | 50 MINS

This recipe is an adaptation of the vegetarian cookbook author, Hetty McKinnon. The smokiness of the cumin mixed with the crunchy chickpeas and silky tahini make this dish a warming, satisfying meal you will want to serve again and again.

Double Duty Recipe: Make double the recipe (minus the sautéed greens), and turn it into Coconut and Tahini Chickpea Soup. Add a can of coconut milk to a high-speed blender and then add the warm chickpeas and tahini mixture. Blend on medium-high for 15-30 seconds to form a semi-smooth consistency, or blend longer if you prefer a very smooth consistency. Refrigerate for up to a week. When ready to use, serve heated with warm naan or a crusty French bread and a crisp green salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, well drained, or 4 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/3 cup tahini
  • Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Warm water, as needed
  • Olive oil, for cooking
  • 10 ounces kale, chard, or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed, coarsely chopped
  • 4 pitas, broiled in oven or grilled to slightly charred
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup of roughly chopped mint
  • 1 large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced, optional
  • Lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 425°F.
  2. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6×8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered.
  3. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 generous pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir and bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35-40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  4. Meanwhile pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy, and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.
  5. Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender. Set aside.
  6. When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, the torn pita, and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and place one half pita on top of each plate. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve extra tahini sauce alongside.