At the farmer's market over the weekend, we saw a huge box of these beans. We asked the woman at the stall what kind of bean they were, and she just shrugged. So, we broke open one of the pods and knew immediately what they were:
Now you know too, right? They are garbanzo beans, also known as chick peas. We never know what we'll find at the farmer's market.
Here I have shucked most of the peas from their pods. I left some of the peas in their pods to eat like edamame. Then I boiled them in a big pot of salted water. Actually, I have heard that some people eat them raw, but I'm not into that.
The garbanzos plumped up a bit and turned a uniform shade of pale green after cooking. I put them into a salad with red onions, garlic, fresh mint, and some roasted red pepper dressing. I'll share the recipe for the dressing in an upcoming post.
Added January 31: here is the recipe for the dressing.
5 comments:
I found frozen green garbanzo beans once (and only once) at Trader Joe's and have been longing for them ever since. In the late summer at our farmer's market (here in the Northwest) they sell fresh cranberry beans. They are fabulous. They take a mere 20 minutes to cook. I freeze them and take out a bag or two each month as a special treat during the fall, winter and spring. After seeing your post, tonight will be the night. Thanks!
ooooh! I did a search and found photos of cranberry beans and they look familiar! I can't remember where I saw them, but I will keep my eyes peeled for them. They sound delicious! And now, I'll even know what they are when I see them...
That sounds so good! I seem to remember that they sell these in bunches, still fresh and attached to the stem, in Ethiopia on the side of the road. They are eaten raw as a snack.
I'll have to ask Altu to be sure that's the bean it was. I tried them but didn't like them raw very much, no matter how much I like cooked beans.
The salad sounds wonderful. I found some frozen crowder peas (spartan brand of all things) this week and bought them. I had not planned on a salad but maybe I will reconsider.
Pretty Cool!!
I have seen green garbanzos frozen at Trader Joe's but haven't tried it yet. I looove chickpeas (garbanzos), so I am very curious to try these!
Did you like them, do they taste like regular brown chickpeas???
Oh, and thanks for the comment on my blog! I am so glad you liked the pasta recipe, and I too kept thinking that the sauce would be great with pita bread!!! :o)
I agree with you in upping the amount of tomatoes next time, for the same reason you cited in the comment. And that's also why I mentioned that I think this will be even better with summer tomatoes, when they will definitely impart a lot more flavor to the sauce!
Ana
Lynn: i think it's really interesting hearing about what people in other parts of the world consider to be snacks. I am sure they are great raw, for those who have the stomache for it!
Ana: We don't have Trader Joe's where I live, but if i were able to buy more of the green garbanzos I would. They do taste a bit different from the dried. They are more sublte and delicate. And they cook fast, whereas the dried take Forever to cook. Anyway, they are very good!
Oh, yeah, that's a great thought about trying that sauce in summer w/lots of fresh tomatoes when they are in season. Actually the eggplant will be at its prime then too! For those of you wondering what we are talking about:
http://kitchenspace.blogspot.com/2008/01/rigatoni-with-eggplant-puree-this-was.html
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