Packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein, chickpeas – or garbanzo
beans – carry health benefits which range from weight management to blood
sugar control. Most of all, they are delicious, affordable, and are the basic
ingredient to an impressive array of culinary creations.
Use them as a base in a salad and let your imagination run wild. You could
make a chickpea salad every day for a year and still never prepare the same
version twice. You could opt for a modest version or go all out using a
cornucopia of herbs, vegetables, and pickles. Yet, no matter how many
versions you have already tried, the Latrovalis Chickpea Salad will become
your absolute favorite, guaranteed. The secret is in the Latrovalis Vinaigrette.
Make a very large bowl if you’re thinking of adding it to your next buffet
spread. It will disappear in a flash!
Ingredients:
500 gr. / 18 oz. chickpeas
1 jar (200 gr / 7 oz) Latrovalis Sliced Kalamon Olives
2 firm tomatoes
1 fresh and crispy cucumber
1 red onion
2 red bell peppers
1 small bunch of parsley
100 gr. / 3.5 oz. Anthotyro (Greek Fresh Cheese)
Latrovalis Vinaigrette:
100 ml. / 3.5 oz. extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons Latrovalis Olive Brine
80 ml. / 2.7 oz. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 pinch freshly-ground pepper
Preparing the chickpeas:
Soak the chickpeas in plenty of cold water overnight or at least for 8 hours.
Drain and rinse twice. Boil the chickpeas. The fastest way to do it is in a
pressure cooker, where they will need 10 minutes after the first steam is
released. After the 10 minutes, switch off the heat and leave on the stove until
the pressure cooker can be safely opened. You need to make sure that your
chickpeas are well-boiled, but definitely not mushy. Drain the water and put
aside to cool.
Preparing the salad:
In a large bowl, dice the firm tomatoes, the crunchy cucumber, the aromatic
red onion, and the fresh red bell peppers. Chop the fresh parsley finely and
add to the bowl. Drain the jar of Latrovalis Sliced Kalamon Olives, but keep
the brine and the empty jar. Add the olives and the cooled chickpeas to the
bowl. Carefully mix all the ingredients in the bowl.
Preparing the Latrovalis Vinaigrette:
In the empty olive jar, combine the extra virgin olive oil, olive brine, lemon
juice, and pepper. Seal the jar firmly and shake the vinaigrette well until all the
ingredients have blended.
Douse the contents of the bowl with the Latrovalis Vinaigrette and mix the
salad well so that it is completely soaked. Just before serving, crumble the
Anthotyro over the salad.
So fresh, aromatic, and crunchy! Watch your guests coming back for
additional servings, and, eventually, staring in disappointment at the empty
bowl.
