Jono & Jules do food & wine

Moro’s Chickpea salad

If you are travelling to Spain on your summer holidays don’t leave without picking up some dried chickpeas. It takes no effort to soak them overnight and they are far superior to the tinned variety (though of course you can use these instead if that’s what you have). Serve this delicious salad all summer with grilled meat or fish.

Chickpea Salad – serves 4

• 150g chickpeas, soaked overnight with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, or 2 x 400g tins cooked chickpeas, rinsed
• 1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
• 1 large green chilli, seeded and finely sliced
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• a squeeze of lemon
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and finely diced
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved, seeded and finely diced
• small bunch each of mint and coriander, roughly chopped

Drain the dried, soaked chickpeas and rinse under cold water, then put into a large saucepan. Fill with 2 litres cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, skimming off any scum that builds up, and cook for 1-2 hours or until soft and tender. Take off the heat, pour off excess liquid until level with the chickpeas, and season well. Set aside.

Put the garlic, chilli, onion, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper into a small mixing bowl. Stir well and add the rest of the ingredients – the drained chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, mint and coriander. Taste for seasoning and chill before serving.

(Original recipe from Moro: The Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark, Ebury Press, 2001.)