Garbanzo Bean Salad with Lemon-Dijon Dressing

Fresh Summer Superstar

Garbanzo Bean Salad | Dara O’Brien

By Dara O’Brien
Creative Director, Lake Isle Press

A stack of recipes is queued up in my head, each patiently waiting its turn. For most, it will be a long wait. There are reasons for this. Some recipes are time intensive and can’t be prepared ahead, which is not ideal when I’m entertaining and can be more than I want to take on just for me. Some call for pricey or unusual ingredients. Some require a grill (a broiler won’t do), and even though I live in an apartment with no outdoor space I keep these recipes in mind because I hope I will have a place with a grill someday—or will visit someone who does and who lets me cook.

And some recipes I just haven’t gotten around to making yet. This chickpea salad falls into that category. I had been thinking of it for a while because it’s a fresh, simple change of pace from standard summer sides like potato salad, baked beans, or coleslaw and would be great for a party. When my friend, Julie, invited me to a last-minute potluck dinner on her roof, I pulled it out of the queue.

This recipe is by Jose Garces from his book “Latin Road Home” published by Lake Isle Press. It was easy to prepare, and I made it even easier by opting for ground cumin rather than toasting and grinding cumin seeds and whisking the dressing rather than mixing it in a blender. I also used canned beans and added kernels from a second ear of sweet corn.

Some cancellations meant there would only be three of us for dinner including one vegan. We scaled back the menu and decided to transform this salad from side dish to main course by serving it over pasta. We mixed the room-temperature salad with penne, still-hot so it could better absorb the dressing.

As a pasta topping or a standalone salad, this is a fresh, tasty combination. The juicy tomatoes, sweet corn, and nutty chickpeas blend and balance perfectly. We had planned some greens as part of the meal but got lazy. Our improvised main course was just fine on its own.

The next day the leftover chickpea salad was even better after sitting for a bit. This time I added a small amount of pasta so that the noodles served as more of a condiment. It was so good that since I had still had most of the fresh ingredients at the ready I popped out to the store for an ear of corn and made more right away.

I’ve mentioned before that I have a teeming recipe collection tucked away in cookbooks and folders both real and virtual, but the queue in my head is where my fantasy players can be found. I very much want to try them; I am just waiting for the right occasion. It’s a win when I draft a recipe that scores the way this one did. It has definitely made the rotation.

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Lemon-Dijon Dressing
Ensalada de Garbanzos

Click here for printable recipe.

Serves 4

Garbanzo Bean Salad with Pasta | Dara O’Brien

INGREDIENTS

Salad
3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
Kernels cut from 1 small ear fresh white sweet corn or ¼ cup frozen white corn kernels, steamed
1 jarred roasted red bell pepper, drained, rinsed (if packed in brine or oil), seeded, and chopped

Dressing
1 tsp minced garlic (1 clove)
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground

To Serve
2 Tbsp minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced on the diagonal

PREPARATION

To make the salad, combine the garbanzo beans, tomatoes, corn, and roasted pepper in a bowl and mix well.

To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a blender and purée until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.

To serve, pour the dressing over the salad, add the parsley and cilantro, and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with the scallions.

TOASTING SPICES
Toasting spices, just like toasting nuts and seeds, is a delicate process that requires your full attention—toasted becomes burnt in just a few moments’ time. When toasting an assortment of spices, be sure to keep them separate, as differences in their size and density will affect how they toast. It’s very helpful to have several rimmed baking sheets on hand to speed up the process. Always use whole seeds, berries, pods, and so forth; ground spices will just burn.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Spread the spice in a single even layer on a flat, rimmed baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 2 to 5 minutes, depending on size and density. Cool completely before grinding in a dedicated coffee grinder. Store the ground spices in a sealed container until needed, up to 1 week.

Recipe from “The Latin Road Home” by Jose Garces
Lake Isle Press, 2012

 
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