Photo by Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
This genius chickpea salad recipe uses the olive oil you bake the chickpeas in as part of the flavorful tahini dressing. We love heirloom black chickpeas for this. They create a beautiful contrast with the pita and are much more flavorful than their beige cousins.
4 cups cooked chickpeas (black chickpeas will be a striking and flavorful choice)
¾ to 1cup extra-virgin olive oil
2garlic cloves, minced
2teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander
1teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing.)
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
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