The Other Mediterranean Diet- Chickpea Salad

With all this talk about the Mediterranean Diet, I think we sometimes forget to look beyond Greece, Spain and Italy for delicious and healthy foods. I’m speaking of course, of the wonderfully healthy and fascinating cuisines of the Middle East.

Olive oil, of course, is a mainstay of Middle Eastern as well as northern Mediterranean cuisine, and yogurt is common to both as well. But on the Mediterranean’s southern coast, couscous is the carb of choice, dried fruits abound, and lemon juice replaces vinegar (a blessing for migraine sufferers like myself.) Best of all are the spices – cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, nutmeg – that continually surprise and delight the palate.

This weekend I discovered a most wonderful Middle Eastern cookbook – The Arab Table by May S. Bsisu. The book is a culinary tour of the Arabian countries of the Middle East – Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Morocco, Syria, Egypt and the Arabian Gulf – along with family reminiscences and explanations of customs and holidays that give cultural context to every recipe.

If this, our first foray into May Bsisu’s recipes is any prediction, I’d say the Arab Table is going to become a source of meal ideas at our table for a long time to come.

Dressed Chickpeas

The strong saltiness, cumin and cayenne flavors in this dish may be an acquired taste for some, so I recommend using a third to half the amounts listed below to start and adjusting upwards if you like the flavors. (I happen to love them.) I love parsley, so I actually used almost a 1/4 cup in mine. Bsisu tells us to add feta to turn this side dish into a satisfying lunch. If you do that, I’d serve it on a plate atop a bed of lettuce leaves.

2 cans chickpeas
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/2 pound white onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped, for garnish
1 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, for garnish

Drain chickpeas and rinse three times under running water. Place in saucepan with water to cover 1 inch, bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes. Drain and cool a few minutes in the colander, then place into a large bowl of cold water. Gently rub the chickpeas between your palms to remove the skins until most of the skins are removed, replenishing the water once or twice as it becomes covered with the skins.

Place the drained chickpeas in a large bowl and add the onion and jalapeno.

Whisk the garlic, salt, cumin, lemon juice and olive oil together in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss gently. Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves garnished with tomatoes and parsley.
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Map from Wikipedia

9 Responses to The Other Mediterranean Diet- Chickpea Salad

  2. Peggy, may I recommend Claudia Roden’s books to you? She’s Egyptian Jewish, and has not only the traditional Middle Eastern recipes, but also Sephardic ones. I’m sure you’ll enjoy not only the food, but also the wonderful illustrations.

    What I would like to serve with the chickpeas is what I call Israeli salad, but is also called Lebanese, Egyptian, Jordanian, Turkish etc., etc.

    1/2 head celery
    1/2 cucumber
    2 new green or polish salt pickled cucumbers
    3 good sized firm tomatoes
    bunch spring onions (scallions)
    De-seeded green pepper (capsicum)
    Bunch flat leaf parsley

    Chop all these very small and dress with a dressing that’s 2 parts light olive oil to 1 part lemon juice, 3 crushed garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste.

    Mix everything together, it will make quite a large amount but who cares? Keep it in the fridge, and it keeps on improving.

    Reply

  4. Both suggestions look great.

    I am a fan of canned beans. You can do dishes up so easily. I’ll never win the home ec award!

    Reply

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  6. I love this recipe, thank you Dr. P.
    I am into the 2nd week of the South Beach Diet and this is just what I needed – something new with lots of flavor.
    (Thanks btw for recommending the diet – in the first week I lost 2-3 lbs, I’m into week #2, going for my 5lbs/2 week goal).
    This is very similar to a recipe I found in Real Simple Jan 2009. They suggest adding parmesan and almonds. If you add some chicken broth and pasta you have a nice, quick dinner. (Although not SBD friendly.)

    Reply

  7. Carrie-

    Congratulations on the weight loss, and on doing South Beach. It’s a great diet!

    Make sure to visit Kalyn’s Kitchen for more SBD friendly recipes.

    Peggy

    Reply

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