I owe this recipe to Nick. I gave him a can of chickpeas and told him to come up with a side dish for our meal that evening. I told him I was cooking a Middle Eastern dish of chicken, tomatoes and broadbeans cooked with lemon, cardamom and cumin and that it needed to be of middle eastern inspiration. Not being much of a spontaneous cook, Nick surfed the net and came up with the version at the very bottom, which I think better serves as a snack/picnic dish. Needless to say, I played around with a few ingredients and decided to make it more of a main dish, and thought that it would be better served with bread and salad. I made this new version (having never seen the original recipe, just going by what Nick's dish tasted like) for my friends when they came over for a girlie night, and the plates were scraped clean! Pictures will follow shortly
serves approx 4 adults
Ingredients:
4 large potatoes
can of chickpeas
150g feta
1 large onion, chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp ground cumin
2tbsp ground cardamom
juice of half a lemon
few mint leaves shredded
2tbsp good quality olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1. dice the potatoes and par boil them, meanwhile heat half the olive oil and add the cumin seeds
2. when the seeds start to 'pop' add the onions and gently fry until turning golden brown
3. add the garlic and continue frying for a couple of minutes (do no let burn, if needed add more oil)
4. add spices and continue frying for a couple of minutes, then add par boiled potatoes, chickpeas and lemon juice
5. season with salt and pepper to taste6. continue cooking until mixture is beginning to brown a little and then crumble in feta and sprinkle on the mint leaves.
7. serve warm with flatbreads, minted yoghurt and a tomato and olive salad.
Note, I make my own flatbreads using plain flour, a pinch of baking powder, a pinch of salt, warm water and a little olive oil. Don't ask me what quantities I use, cause I honestly don't know!!! I just throw it all in and make it into a dough. I then break off small balls, roll them flat and then dry fry them in a hot pan (a 'tawa' is best if you happen to own one)
Another option more in line with the original recipe), if going on a picnic or want to make some snacks for a party or something is to wrap the mixture in filo pastry (brushing each sheet with a little olive oil), brush top with olive oil and sprinkle on some sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 15 mins - or until pastry is browned. These parcels taste delicious hot or cold.
