Who’s shucked a fresh chickpea? Who’s eaten one? I’d venture to guess no one, and I’m kind of baffled as to why; they’re delicious! Someone from the chickpea marketing team really slipped up in not promoting them as a fresh vegetable. I just had my first (of many, hopefully) fresh chickpea experiences this past weekend. They come in a little green jacket, like an English Pea, which is peeled away to reveal one (sometimes two, if you’re lucky) bright green chickpeas.
Apparently they come in both a green and white varietal, but the green is the easiest to find fresh. Though they look like peas, it is in fact a legume. In their fresh state chickpeas don’t take much in the way of preparation and actually don’t taste half bad raw. Lightly steam them and drizzle with a touch of sea salt and super fruity olive oil and you’ve got an interesting and easy side dish.
My Grade: A
Recipe Grade: A, it's not even a recipe really.
Diagnosis: MUST try.
