You’ve got to give it to those wild and crazy Gauls of yore. Apparently, party games didn’t get a lot more classy than throwing chickpeas into a crowd and watching people dive to catch them. Hilarious! Right? (On the other hand, maybe that was fun in the first century.)
Medieval Sicilians in the 13th Century also tapped into the chickpea meme, albeit in a more sinister way. Their followers were instructed to ID their enemies (the French) by forcing them to say “ceci,” another term for chickpea. Apparently the word was a real tongue twister for the French. I’ll have to check that one out on my unsuspecting French neighbor, Nicole. I just have to figure out how to casually work the word ceci into a conversation. I’m thinking something like: “Bonjour, Nicole. Ça va? Can you help me pronounce this weird word in the recipe I’m making? I think it’s French. ” Too obvious?
Today’s topic is–you guessed it!–chickpeas.
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans. They’re a good source of protein and chock-full of components that are good for your body. Incorporated as a regular part of your diet, studies show that chickpeas can help control blood sugar, aid digestion, lower cholesterol and build strong bones. Eating them is a real gift to yourself.
Speaking of gifts, Juliet and I wish you lots of fun in your kitchen for the new year!
Here is the recipe. This recipe is adapted from an Epicurious recipe that appears here.
Instant Pot Italian Chickpea Stew With Pesto
Ingredients
- For The Pesto
- 1 1/2 C. (packed) fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 C. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1 T. toasted pine nuts
- For The Chickpeas
- 1 T. plus 1/2 t. kosher salt (divided)
- 1 quart water
- 1 pound dried chickpeas
- 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 2 medium carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 1 fourteen ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 4 C. vegetable broth
- 1/4 C. grated Parmesan cheeese
Directions
- Step 1 To Prepare the Pesto
- Step 2 Combine the basil leaves, oil, cheese, garlic and pine nuts in a blender. Blend until a coarse paste forms. Add more olive oil to thin if necessary. Set aside. (You will need about 1/3 C. of pesto for this stew.)
- Step 3 To Prepare the Soup
- Step 4 Soak dried chickpeas overnight in water to cover with 1 T. kosher salt. Drain and rinse.
- Step 5 Sauté the onions (sprinkled with 1/4 t. salt) in the remaining olive oil in your Instant Pot, stirring often.
- Step 6 Add the drained chickpeas, carrots, tomatoes (with their juices), vegetable broth, and the remaining 1/4 t. salt to the sautéed onions. Lock the Instant Pot lid into place. Use the Instant Pot’s ” Manual” setting with pressure adjusted to “High” and timer set to 10 minutes. Use the Instant Pot’s “Quick Release” feature after 10 minutes and unlock and remove the lid.
- Step 7 This is a brothy soup. If you would like to thicken it up a bit (I did.), puree a cup of the soup and then add it back into your soup pot. An immersion blender would work well for this, too. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan and a dollop of the pesto.
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