How to Cook Chick Peas

I was first introduced to chick peas way back when salad bars first became a national phenomenon. Seems like a long time ago now, and since then I have enjoyed these tasty, protein-rich legumes cooked (or not) in a tremendous variety of ways. Chick peas go by a lot of names, including garbanzos, garbanzo beans, and (in India) chana or channa. You may also see it spelled as one word, "chickpeas."

In addition to tossing chick peas into your salads, you can cook them in soups and stews; mash some together, roll them into little balls and fry them to make falafel; cook them and grind them into a paste for some home-made hummus; or just roast a pan of them and sprinkle with salt or spices for a quick snack. This merely scratches the surface of the ways that people can and do enjoy chick peas.

The one minor hassle in cooking with chick peas is that you must soak them, preferably overnight, before putting them to use. You can avoid this by buying chick peas in cans, although you'll miss out on the full flavor to be found in fresh chick peas.

Chick Pea Recipe #1

Ingredients

1. 15 ounces (or 1 can) chick peas

2. 4 cups water

3. 2 tablespoons cooking oil

4. 1 onion, chopped

5. 1 teaspoon salt

6. 2 cloves garlic, minced

7. 2 teaspoons ground coriander

8. 1 large green chili pepper, chopped

9. 1 tomato, diced

Directions

1. Combine chick peas, 3 cups water and salt in a sauce pan. Simmer until chick peas are tender. Drain, removing chick peas from pan.

2. Heat cooking oil in the pan. Add onion and fry until onion begins to turn brown, then add garlic, chili pepper and coriander; fry for 5 minutes more.

3. Add tomato. Continue cooking until all liquid is gone.

4. Add chick peas back into pan and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water, cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

5. Remove from heat, stir well and serve.

Chick Pea Recipe #2 (for true garlic lovers!)

Ingredients

1. 2 cans of chick peas

2. 6 to 12 cloves of garlic, minced

3. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4. 1/4 cup chicken bouillon

5. 2 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed with 6 tablespoons water

6. 3 or 4 redskin potatoes, peeled and chopped

7. 1 cup water

8. 1 teaspoon salt

9. 1 teaspoon lemon juice

10. 1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions

1. Sautee cumin seeds and garlic in bouillon for 3 minutes. Add tomato paste (diluted with water) and cook for 2 more minutes over low heat.

2. Add chick peas, water, potatoes, salt, chili powder and lemon juice. Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Serve with pita bread or crusty French or Italian bread.

Chick Pea Recipe #3 (soup)

Ingredients

1. 4 cups pre-cooked chick peas

2. 6 cups canned (clear) chicken soup or broth

3. 1 onion, chopped

4. 1 medium tomato, diced

5. 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or parsley flakes

6. 4 cloves garlic, minced

7. 1 cup dry macaroni

Directions

1. Preheat a medium-to-large pot. Saute garlic and onion.

2. Add chicken soup, chick peas, tomato and parsley.

3. Bring everything to a boil; cook for 15 to 25 minutes.

4. Add macaroni, cover pot and cook for 20 to 30 minutes more, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and serve.

Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah's article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html