Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

I found this recipe on the "Favorite Recipes" page of Mark Bittman's site last week. There are already quite a lot of recipes on my to-cook list but I figure if the guy who knows how to cook everything has singled this salad out as one of his favorites, it's gotta be pretty good, right?

Plus, our arugula was just getting big enough to need thinning and this seemed like a good use for the plants that had to go bye-bye.

Arugula plants by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

So I tested it out the other day and it did not disappoint. It's got a lot going for it - the cumin seeds and ginger lend spice and flavor to the arugula's peppery bite and the satisfying meatiness of the chickpeas and the egg. I also like the way the hot chickpeas wilt the greens a touch. 

Chickpeas draining in colander in sink by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2011

Although Bittman's recipe calls for adding the onions raw, I cooked them in my version since I was not in the mood for bad breath raw onion. The main drawback to using cooked onion over raw is that the thin slices of raw red onion would definitely add some visual pizzazz to the dish which the cooked version lacks.

Hard-boiled eggs by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

I could not resist composing the salad in this wonderful new green bowl with white and yellow flowers - a birthday gift from my Aunt Katy - the colors matched so well it seemed criminal not to...

Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

This salad makes a good meatless main dish or a great side to accompany a mezze of yummy things like hummus, quinoa, cucumber-yogurt salad, and pickled beets.

Enjoy!

-- print recipe --
Warm Spiced Chickpea Salad with Arugula
Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main dish

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
* Dash of red pepper flakes
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups cooked or drained canned chickpeas
* 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon honey
* 4 cups arugula leaves
* 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
* 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered

Directions

1. Put the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the ginger and garlic are fragrant and the onion is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir in the chickpeas until hot and coated in the oil and seasonings, about 3 minutes more.

2. Remove from heat and with a fork, stir in the vinegar, honey, and 1 tablespoon water. Mash a few of the chickpeas as you stir to add texture to the dressing. Put the arugula and red onion in a large bowl and toss with the warm chickpea dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with hard-cooked eggs.

You might also like:
Or these great-looking recipes from some of my favorite food blogs:
For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

1 comment:

Honeycrisp said...

Delicious! This is a great recipe. Thanks, Eve!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad

Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

I found this recipe on the "Favorite Recipes" page of Mark Bittman's site last week. There are already quite a lot of recipes on my to-cook list but I figure if the guy who knows how to cook everything has singled this salad out as one of his favorites, it's gotta be pretty good, right?

Plus, our arugula was just getting big enough to need thinning and this seemed like a good use for the plants that had to go bye-bye.

Arugula plants by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

So I tested it out the other day and it did not disappoint. It's got a lot going for it - the cumin seeds and ginger lend spice and flavor to the arugula's peppery bite and the satisfying meatiness of the chickpeas and the egg. I also like the way the hot chickpeas wilt the greens a touch. 

Chickpeas draining in colander in sink by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog copyright 2011

Although Bittman's recipe calls for adding the onions raw, I cooked them in my version since I was not in the mood for bad breath raw onion. The main drawback to using cooked onion over raw is that the thin slices of raw red onion would definitely add some visual pizzazz to the dish which the cooked version lacks.

Hard-boiled eggs by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

I could not resist composing the salad in this wonderful new green bowl with white and yellow flowers - a birthday gift from my Aunt Katy - the colors matched so well it seemed criminal not to...

Warm Spiced Chickpea Arugula Salad by Eve Fox, Garden of Eating blog, copyright 2011

This salad makes a good meatless main dish or a great side to accompany a mezze of yummy things like hummus, quinoa, cucumber-yogurt salad, and pickled beets.

Enjoy!

-- print recipe --
Warm Spiced Chickpea Salad with Arugula
Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main dish

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
* Dash of red pepper flakes
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 cups cooked or drained canned chickpeas
* 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
* 1 teaspoon honey
* 4 cups arugula leaves
* 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
* 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered

Directions

1. Put the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the ginger, garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until the ginger and garlic are fragrant and the onion is soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then stir in the chickpeas until hot and coated in the oil and seasonings, about 3 minutes more.

2. Remove from heat and with a fork, stir in the vinegar, honey, and 1 tablespoon water. Mash a few of the chickpeas as you stir to add texture to the dressing. Put the arugula and red onion in a large bowl and toss with the warm chickpea dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately, garnished with hard-cooked eggs.

You might also like:
Or these great-looking recipes from some of my favorite food blogs:
For more delicious recipes, gardening ideas, foraging tips, and food-related inspiration "like" the Garden of Eating on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter and Pinterest.

1 comment:

Honeycrisp said...

Delicious! This is a great recipe. Thanks, Eve!