Ingredients FOR THE BAKED CHICKPEAS 500 gr chickpeas 4 clov. garlic (whole) 2 dry onions (thinly sliced) 2 small tomatoes (thinly sliced) 2 bay leaves 1 cup olive oil 1 tbsp salt 1/2 tbsp pepper (freshly ground) Water (as needed) Expert Tip Dr. Tasos Papalazarou Baked chickpeas are a unique dish of high nutritional value. Protein, B-complex vitamins, and vitamin E are among their nutritional benefits. In fact, combining chickpeas with bread increases the biological value of the protein and provides valuable antioxidants, thereby helping to neutralize dangerous free radicals. Finally, they are an excellent source of dietary fiber and prebiotics, supporting good gut health. Add a protein equivalent, such as a piece of cheese or 3-4 sardines, and you will have a meal that is ideal even for dieting. Equipment Dutch oven Oven TAGS LEGUMES CHICKPEAS LOW BUDGET MAIN COURSES DAIRY FREE LENTED FOOD LIGHT VEGAN VEGETARIAN GREEK TRADITIONAL FOODS PAROS Ingredients FOR THE BAKED CHICKPEAS 500 gr chickpeas 4 clov. garlic (whole) 2 dry onions (thinly sliced) 2 small tomatoes (thinly sliced) 2 bay leaves 1 cup olive oil 1 tbsp salt 1/2 tbsp pepper (freshly ground) Water (as needed) Video Instructions To make the baked chickpeas, you first need to soak them in water. Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them generously with water (it should sit well above the surface of the chickpeas). Stir and leave them to stand overnight. I leave mine for 12 hours. They will swell and double in volume. The next day, rinse them under clean water. Drain them in a colander and tip them into the dutch oven (gastra). Tuck the whole garlic cloves and the bay leaves here and there among them. Make a layer of the sliced onions. Top with a layer of the sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Drizzle over the olive oil. Add cold water, just enough to cover the pulses, then put on the lid. Seal the dutch oven (or traditional gastra), optionally. Make a simple flour-and-water paste and press it all around the rim, joining the lid to the pot, to keep every bit of liquid inside. BAKING Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F), conventional heat (top and bottom elements), on the lower rack, for 4 hours. Once the baking time is up, open the gastra and check the chickpeas. If they have held too much moisture inside, uncover the gastra and leave them for a little while so the liquid reduces. Baked chickpeas need long baking at a low temperature, but that is exactly what gives them their perfect flavor, dark color, texture, and the way the chickpeas split open. SECRETS To take this recipe to the next level, if you have a fireplace, wait until the fire has burned down well, then clear a space in the embers and nestle your clay pot or gastra inside. “Build up” the embers around the clay pot (surrounding it on all sides) and leave everything to slow-cook overnight until meltingly tender. The baked chickpeas will darken as they cook, drink up all their liquid, and be left in their own oil. This is perhaps the loveliest way to cook chickpeas in a gastra. If you already know from previous cooking that your chickpeas soften well, the baking soda is unnecessary. The vessel you use should be a heavy gastra or a clay pot. It must have a tight-fitting lid so the liquid does not evaporate during baking. They do not need much water. They cook and bake in their own small amount of liquid and in the liquid released by the vegetables. Do not skip the garlic. The sweetness of gastra-baked chickpeas comes from the onion and garlic, which turn to cream by the end. If you prefer, instead of baking soda in the soaking water, add 1 tbsp coarse salt. If the chickpeas soften easily, you need neither. Plenty of olive oil is what makes the difference. You can serve them with a little lemon and, essentially, with olives, taramosalata, and fresh bread. Chickpeas are cooked in a similar way in the unique revithada of Sifnos, with small differences. TAGS LEGUMES CHICKPEAS LOW BUDGET MAIN COURSES DAIRY FREE LENTED FOOD LIGHT VEGAN VEGETARIAN GREEK TRADITIONAL FOODS PAROS
